Twenty
A knock came on the door
while Kinsey swept the puppy away from the strung-out garbage all over the living
room floor.
“Hercules! I promise you,
one more time with this and your name is the new spelling for dead dog,” she reprimanded
before greeting her visitor.
“Ms. McKay?” a stern woman
with a very thin nose and tight gray bun asked.
“Yes.”
“My name is Joan Sachels.
I am from child services. We’ve had some complaints I need to follow up on.”
“Complaints?” Kinsey
asked, breathless. “What do you mean?”
“You are the mother of
Alexis Jane Berkley, age ten, and in the fifth grade at Warren Elementary.”
“Yes, but I still don’t
know why you are here.”
“May I come in?”
Kinsey thought for a
second, knowing Hercules’ mess from tearing through the garbage for last
night’s barbeque rib bones would add to this woman’s inquiry, whatever the
case. “I don’t think right now is a good time. Our puppy has made a bit of a
mess, and….”
“Then right now is the
perfect time.”
Ms. Sachels pushed past
Kinsey, holding a clipboard and started walking through the house.
“Excuse me, but we’re
getting ready to leave. In case you didn’t notice, today is Christmas Eve. We
have friends to see.” Kinsey made sure the irritation in her voice poured out.
“Where is the child?”
“Alexis Jane is in her
room.”
“May I please speak to
her?”
“Not until I know what
this is about.” Kinsey did not like the way the woman stepped through the mess
on the floor, careful her shiny red heels did not step in anything sticky. Her
dull eyes scrutinized the open area, and then turned to the furniture.
“I told you we have
received complaints.”
“Yes, but you have not
told me the nature of the complaints, and doesn’t social services usually have
a police escort?”
Miss Sachels gave Kinsey a
knowing smirk, but did not answer her. “If you have nothing to hide, then you
have no worries. Now, may I please speak to your daughter?”
“No. I will not have her
grilled by you when I have no idea what is going on. I have not even seen any identification
to say you are who you say you are. You don’t have a warrant or any other.”
Kinsey crossed her arms over her chest, leaned toward one hip, and stared down
the woman scribbling on her board. “You give me some answers, let me clean up
this dog mess, and I will be happy to make an appointment with you.”
“We don’t work that way.”
“Then let me show you the
way out of my house.”
Kinsey started walking to
the door, still open from the woman’s inexcusable behavior, and opened it
wider, offering a peaceful way out.
“Mom?” Alexis Jane’s questioning
voice asked. “What’s going on?”
Ms. Sachels’ eyes gleamed
as she saw the mess her daughter appeared. Glue made Alexis Jane’s hair stand straight
out in knots. Red paint smeared her face, and some of the makeup from the
makeover party the previous night smeared and darkened around her eyes.
“Nothing, sweetheart. This
is Ms. Sachels. She was just leaving.”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve
come to see you, Alex Jane.”
Kinsey eyed the woman as
she walked toward the stairs.
“Come down, child, and let
me have a look at you.”
With the worst timing in
the world, Kinsey’s cell phone rang. “What now?” Kinsey thought as she excused herself
to answer it. “Go hop in the shower, Alexis Jane. We have to leave here soon.”
The woman ignored her and
beckoned the young girl down the stairs.
“Kinsey, it’s Cecelia.
Did—”
Before her dear friend
could utter another word, a sigh of relief flooded from deep in her chest,
cutting off the other woman. “Can you come over? There’s someone here and she
won’t leave. She wants to talk to Alexis Jane about some complaints.”
“Of course. I’m on my
way.”
Kinsey turned to see the
other woman coddling her daughter and picking at her hair.
“Did Taylor or Kimberly
leave something over here after your art and makeover slumber party? Cecelia’s
on her way over.”
Alexis Jane looked at her
mother with tears brimming in her eyes. Without a word, she jumped up from the couch
and ran to the kitchen. Kinsey glared at the woman, smiling with satisfaction,
and then followed.
“What is the matter?”
“How could you?” Alexis
Jane accused, swinging the broken wine bottle cabinet door. “You promised!”
“I—” She had no idea why
the cabinet was open or what happened.
“You promised!”
“I haven’t done anything
to break that promise!”
Her daughter held up the
bottle. The purple seal with her initials hung in ribbons, slit apart, while
the bottle held only one last swallow.
“What did she tell you?”
Kinsey asked in a gentle and coaxing voice to hide the trembling in her hands.
The horror and betrayal in her daughter’s eyes stabbed through her heart. As
Kinsey took a step closer, Alexis Jane matched it to step back.
“She said someone saw you
tripping down the road last weekend when I stayed with Taylor and Kim. You said
you had a rough day and wanted to think things through. You said you would be
fine. WHY?!”
“Alexis Jane, I did not
touch that bottle. You came home the following morning.”
“And you were in bed with
a migraine.”
“Yes! It was a difficult
time for me, but I’m telling you, baby, I did not touch that bottle. Look me in
the eyes.”
Alexis Jane stopped her
heavy breathing for a moment to take up her mother’s challenge.
“Look at my hands. Are
they shaking? Have I been anything but tired and having a few headaches since
we moved back? Have I done anything that would make you doubt me?”
Kinsey waited on baited
breath for her daughter’s answer. Alexis Jane knew her best…even when Kinsey was
at her worst.
“Then you tell me what’s
going on,” Alexis Jane demanded, not answering the question.
“I do not know,” Kinsey
said with all honesty. Fear and anger ran through her. Someone was trying to
destroy her life, including taking Alexis Jane away from her.
“I’m calling Officer
Huntingdon.” Alexis Jane pushed past her and took the phone from her hand.
“What? No, Alexis Jane.
You leave him out of this. He’s retired anyway.”
“Mom, he can help.”
“He won’t help.”
“Ms. McKay,” Ms. Sachels’s
voice came from behind them. “Am I right in observing you are an alcoholic and you
have beverages containing substance in the house with your daughter?”
“Do you see we’re talking
here?” Kinsey turned on the woman as Alexis Jane continued to dial. “I don’t
care who you are, but you are out of my house this instant. There is nothing
here for you to observe.”
“Dog filth all over the
floor, littered with smelly trash, your daughter looking as though she has not
had a decent night’s sleep in a long time, nor a bath, you have alcohol in the
house-”
“A lot of people have
alcohol in their house,” Kinsey defended.
“Like ‘recovering’
alcoholics,” Sachels taunted, making quote gestures with her fingers, and a
daring smile cracked across her face.
“Now just a moment here!”
Kinsey raised a finger up to the woman who only smiled wider. Kinsey took a
deep breath and lowered her hand to grip her hips instead of following through
with her temptation to slap the woman.
“I owe you no explanation.
I will not give you one. You are exaggerating, and I know you are setting me
up. Leave now, before I call the police.”
“No need. I will file my
report, and the next time we meet, I will bring one with me. You will obviously
need some restraining.”
“What? Who do you think
you are?”
“Joan Sachels,” a voice
from behind them replied.
All three turned to see
Cecelia standing with her arms folded and a challenging raised eyebrow.
“Cecelia, how nice of you
to witness the condition of this poor child’s life.”
Cecelia looked around.
“Looks like a happy home to me. Now who are you working for?”
“My job is the protection
and the welfare of minors.”
“That is your job, but
there is no minor to protect here,” Cecelia said, keeping her cool.
“I disagree.”
“Well, that is your
choice, but until you can prove anything, have a Merry Christmas.”
Cecelia took the woman by
her arm and escorted her out. “I’ll be filing my report, and you’ll be hearing
back from me with police escort.”
“I do not think that will
be necessary,” said a gruff voice Kinsey regretted hearing as she followed her
friend.
Donovan Huntingdon stood
in the open doorway of her house. Kinsey’s heart fell to her stomach, and
butterflies started to flutter around it. Not the same ones that Victor conjured
from the past. These were evil for when she knew she stood in the face of
trouble. Anytime Donovan
Huntingdon was within ten feet of her, trouble
followed.
“Ah, good. Officer
Huntingdon, you’ll remember me from before your unfortunate retirement. The
police force lost a great man when you received your pension. I’m Joan Sachels
from Department of Family Services, and as you will recall from five years ago,
this young woman had a visit from us, and it’s apparent she has fallen back on old
habits.”
“I see nothing so
apparent, Ms. Sachels. I see a girl who fell asleep with a bottle of glue, and
a rambunctious puppy that hates this cold weather and rebels against his housebreaking
while looking for a midnight snack in the garbage. I am sure that if you return
in no less than one hour, you will see that everything is sufficient.”
“What about Ms. Berkley,
aka McKay, and her drinking? She has alcohol in the house and is a professed alcoholic.
That is not a safe environment for the child.”
Donovan Huntingdon
shrugged his shoulders and walked over to Alexis Jane. His gentle touch to
brush away the runaway tears from Alexis Jane’s face shocked Kinsey.
“Alexis Jane, you’re the
deciding factor here. You tell me.” He bent down with hands on knees. “You know
your mother better than anyone else here. Do you believe she is drinking again?
Have you seen any of the behaviors that are consistent with her past catching
up? Any secrecy? Anxiety? Shaking of the hands? Any hallucinations or violent
eruptions?”
Kinsey held her breath and
waited. Alexis Jane had never answered her very same questions just a moment before.
“No,” Alexis Jane said,
never looking at her mother, but staring at Officer Huntingdon to show that her
mother’s expressions did not influence her decision. “My mom is clean. She had
a bad night a week back while I stayed the night at Pastor Jon’s with Kimberly
and Taylor. And she did have a migraine the next day, but there were no signs
of drinking.”
“You’re sure?” he asked
and all the girl did was close her eyes, purse her lips and nod. “There you
have it, Ms. Sachels. The child would know if her mother started drinking again.
Children brought up around these addictions never miss a trick with them. Now,
I suggest you go on and enjoy your Christmas holiday season. Good day.”
He shut the door on the
huffing woman and crossed his arms while his Irish green eyes penetrated into
Kinsey.
“Victor called. He’s
coming home today. His flight lands in a couple of hours, and he’ll be joining
us for dinner. Ailish has asked if you and Alexis Jane would also join us.”
Kinsey took a step back.
This man was actually inviting her over to his house which he absolutely
forbade her from entering again after he shipped Victor off when they were
fifteen? He actually talked kindly to her daughter and made Alexis Jane feel
comfortable with him. Kinsey thought she was hallucinating after all.
“Well, that sounds very
nice, right, Kinsey?” Cecelia asked.
“Yes,” she choked out, her
breathing difficult. A sudden heavy boulder sat on her chest and her hand resting
across her heart could not brush it away. “Can…Can I bring anything for
dinner?”
“Ailish asked if you would
mind bringing a salad and something to drink.”
“Yes,” Kinsey said, feeling
the wind knocked out of her in shock. “I can manage that. Thank you.”
With a nod of his head,
Donovan Huntingdon showed himself out the door.
“Did I just see what I
thought I saw, or did Victor’s grandfather actually stand up for me?” Kinsey
waited a moment before asking with what little breath she had left.
“I don’t believe it
myself,” Cecelia answered as she hugged on Kinsey’s arm. She appreciated her
friend’s gesture, as she was sure she would have fainted without it. “But that
is what I saw happen. This is a good sign, Kinsey.”
If only. She could not
feel the same excitement. Something happened that night she went out, and JD talked
to her; she thought for sure, once again, she would lose her daughter. The
first fight was hard enough. She did not know if she could face it again.
“Alexis Jane,” Cecelia
turned to the reason for her phone call and visit. “Did Taylor leave her diary
here? Or are you and Kimberly playing keep away with it?”
“Taylor left it on the
counter in the bathroom,” Alexis Jane whispered, still in shock from the
episode. “I’ll go get it.”
“Thank you. You can’t
imagine the screaming happening at my house over that book.”
Alexis Jane forced a smile
as another tear escaped down her face. With a quick swipe at it, she jogged
back up the stairs.
“Who would send DFS here?”
Kinsey asked as she collapsed on the couch and let her emotions release. “On Christmas
Eve, no less.”
She could not go through
it again. She could not lose her daughter. After Pastor Jon took Alexis Jane
the first time, Kinsey learned her lesson, learned to mourn her parents’ deaths
and woke up to the reality of the responsibility in front of her. She was a
mother, and that little girl thought the world of her—needed her—and Kinsey
needed Alexis Jane.
“Kinsey, listen to me. Joan
Sachels is ruthless. She is paid to make trouble and her trouble does not come
cheap. Can you think of anyone with a lot of money who would want to make
trouble for you and Alexis Jane?”
Kinsey stared at her. “The
St. Marks are prestigious. What if Preston put the puzzle pieces together and
is trying to take her away?”
“What about the janitor at
school? We know very little about him except he was JD’s roommate in college.”
“How could a janitor
afford Sachels? I doubt the school system pays cushy pensions to sexual
harassers.”
“This is more than sexual
harassment, Kins. You know it. This is about your daughter. Somehow, it's
connected to the raid. Now, tell me everything you remember about that night.
Somehow this all has to tie in to it.”
“You know all there is to
know.”
“Do you remember seeing
Ted there?”
“I was so drunk, I don’t
remember most of the night, or know what is fact or just paranoid delusions
from nightmares.”
“You see him in your
nightmares?”
Kinsey nodded as she held
herself together in her arms. “I see him being dragged away by the cops and him
yelling at me with so much hate and vengeance. He says I ruined his life. I do
not know him, other than he’s a friend of Manny’s, and I saw him around the
high school. I swear.”
She took a deep breath and
let Cecelia console her with a light hug. Kinsey laid her head on her friend’s
shoulder.
“Do you think Preston has
anything to do with this? Has he put the pieces together about my daughter?”
“AJ is going to be fine. I
am sure that if Dr. St Mark,” the name put chills down Kinsey’s spine, “knew
that he is Alexis Jane’s uncle, he would have talked to you personally. Does
she know?”
“No.”
“Kinsey, I am shocked you
would keep this from her.”
“I don’t need it adding to
her nightmares. The night she witnessed my parents’ deaths at the hands of her
own father is still lingering. Sometimes I think it’s getting worse, except
when she has her get-togethers with Kim and Taylor. I won’t burden my daughter
with this.”
“Did you drink?”
Kinsey sat up and looked
her friend in the face. “No. I swear to you. I know I should not, but as God is
my witness, I did not. I know I have been tempted. God forgive me, have I been
tempted, but I have beaten every single demon coming my way.”
“Even with JD’s help?”
Kinsey looked at her with
shock.
“He called me. He was
worried about you. That was why I came over the day you had a migraine. I ask
your forgiveness for slamming pots and pans around, but I was mad. I hated the
thought of you even taking a walk near a bar.”
“How ironic is it that
JD’s apartment is above one,” Kinsey said, reflecting on that question. “All I
did was stand outside it. I never even put my hand on the door. I thought about
it, even reached for it, but JD came by instead. I promise you, I do not know
how that cabinet was broken.”
The two women looked at
each other for a few minutes, Kinsey’s eyes pleading with the pastor’s wife to believe
her, while she felt the scrutiny of those brown eyes staring boldly back.
“I believe you,” Alexis
Jane whispered from the top of the stairs. She held her doll, Mercy— the last
gift from her grandparents—and took a step at a time. Her hand glided down the
smooth banister. For Kinsey, that was all she needed. But how much of the
conversation had Alexis Jane heard?
Twenty-one
Kinsey locked Hercules in
the pantry with his training pads all over the floor and his favorite plush
alien chew toy while she cleaned up the rampage, and Alexis Jane took a shower.
It took all she had to control the bile churning in her stomach as she cleaned
the broken glass.
This only meant that someone had broken into her
home, shattered the glass on the wine cabinet her father built with his own two
hands, as so much of the house held his loving touch, and then either drank or
poured out the wine from the last bottle she ever touched.
Every day she did not
touch it, it stood as her trophy of being able to beat her sickness. Now, it
remained with only a single swallow in it as it lay atop the garbage awaiting
its trip to the large barrel outback. Someone wanted to take her daughter away.
The thought kept racing in her mind while she mopped the kitchen floor and eggs
boiled on the stove. Who and why?
Did the St. Marks have something to do with this? Why
did they not just come and talk to her on their own? What would she say if they
did? So many scenarios ran through her mind—so many frightening thoughts of
their faces.
How many were there? Would
they take her to court?
“Mom,” Alexis Jane called
as she skipped down the stairs. “Are you ready for lunch with Cecelia?”
No, she thought as she
re-examined her cleaned kitchen and dining area from where the puppy trailed
his mess. I do not want to leave this house if I have to return to it again
and have something else happen. Why can’t I just pack up and leave? Why do I
have to drag my daughter through all this and keep so many secrets from her?
“Mom?” Alexis Jane asked,
letting her hand rest on her mother’s elbow. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” Kinsey said. “Why
don’t you go to Pastor Jon’s for lunch and then meet me over at the
Huntingdons’ for supper?”
“Oh, no you don’t. I am
not leaving you alone. Besides, you know this is when we were going to exchange
gifts with them. And Pastor Jon has a great big back yard, fenced in and
perfect for Hercules so he can just stay out there. I even have the
pooper-scooper ready. I know he hates the cold, but if we leave him out in it,
and he uses the yard, we can give him a treat. Maybe after a few million times,
he’ll figure it out. I'll even take the garbage out before we leave.”
How Kinsey wanted to blame
that strong-willed puppy for what happened that morning, but she stopped
herself as Alexis Jane removed the bulging plastic bag from the strong
container and tied a knot at the top; no more excuses, no more temptation. For
now. It was not Hercules’ fault. He was a dog, and dogs love bones. They were
just as tempting for him as the alcohol remained for her. She sighed, content
with having the mess straightened out, and went to finish her contribution to
both carry-in meals.
Lord, give me strength
through this day. Let Victor have a safe trip home, and please let him come to
realize that what is in the past needs to stay in the past. There is nothing
more for us here, and I will be moving on soon. Thank You for Cecelia’s call at
Your perfect timing, and thank You for whatever came over Donovan that he actually
stood up for me. I never thought I would see the day. Thank you, Lord.
~ * ~
All through lunch, Kinsey
watched as the girls played with the puppy, loving him and showing him how much
fun the snow could be. She also tried their technique, but because she
delivered the discipline after having to clean up his messes, he bonded with
the girls better.
Alexis Jane hid a horde of
dog treats in her jacket pocket and he knew they were there. She constantly laughed
as she jumped away from his playful attacks toward her, wanting more.
“Are you doing better?”
Cecelia asked, refilling Kinsey’s coffee cup and laying a plate of cherry pie
next to her.
“I’m surviving as always.”
Kinsey tried to smile, taking up her mug.
“Jon’s been on the phone
with Social Services all morning…”
“On Christmas Eve?” Kinsey
interrupted. She felt awful that she’d ruined their holiday.
“He’s trying to pull some
strings to find out who Sachels is working for. If she can invade your home on Christmas
Eve, he can call and interrupt someone else’s. But truly, Kins, I do worry. The
woman is a barracuda.”
“I believe you. Those
fangs flashed this morning, and her claws curled when Donovan shut the door on
her. I just want to forget the whole thing and pray I never have to deal with
her again.”
“Your prayer is answered,”
Jon replied as he sat down at the table next to his wife while taking her hand
in his and kissing the back of it. “It appears that Joan Sachels has no legal
authority to make any trips for DFS at all. She was let go from her position
when evidence emerged of her under-the-table methods over six months ago. They are
looking further as to why she is trying to scare you. Don’t worry, Kins. I
assured them they had nothing to worry about with Alexis Jane’s welfare. If she
hounds you again, call the police.”
Kinsey did not find as
much security in his words as she should have. “What would have happened with
Alexis Jane if she had taken her? Would this woman take her to social services
hoping for redemption, or was it a kidnapping attempt?”
Apparently, her friends
had not thought of that as the cool whip let gravity work from its spoonful
above Pastor Jon’s pumpkin pie. Cecelia’s jaw dropped for a second, and then
she shook her head.
“Joan Sachels is ruthless
and greedy, but I don’t believe she would have kidnapped Alexis Jane,” Cecelia tried
to comfort her, but Kinsey could not shake the feeling. Someone wanted to crush her life and take her
daughter away.
~ * ~
“Kinsey,” Ailish
Huntingdon said, as she opened the front door while wiping her hands on her
apron. She extended her arms to hug Kinsey and Alexis Jane before inviting them
in.
“As per your request,”
Alexis Jane said, holding up a large covered plastic salad bowl in one hand,
and a twelve pack of soda in the other. “Has Mr. Cambridge called to say when
he’s expecting to be here?”
“He’ll be here within the
next thirty minutes,” Ailish almost squealed with joy. “And he says he’s
bringing a surprise.” She stepped back to accept the addition to the dinner she
obviously slaved over as Kinsey smelled the lemon pepper simmering off the
chicken.
“Did he hint what it could
be?” Alexis Jane asked while Kinsey wondered the same thing.
“He would not say exactly,
only that it was a big Christmas present for the family.”
“Maybe it’s a guard hat
from Buckingham Palace,” Alexis Jane hoped as a figure exited the kitchen in
front of them and Kinsey felt the Lord's hand at work again on this difficult
day.
“Hello, my darling.”
Officer Wendy Daryl stood with a warming smile on her face. “Donovan called me
and let me know what is going on. Then Pastor Jon put a buzz in my ear. I
thought you could use an extra friend.”
“Thank you.” Kinsey fell
into the woman's open arms and felt her worries lessen.
“Who's this precious
lass?” Wendy asked as she looked over Kinsey's shoulder.
Kinsey turned to see her
daughter's curious face. “Alexis Jane, you remember Lady Wendy? She has been by
our sides for a long time, though you haven’t seen her since we moved back.
She’s my new AA sponsor, and she's also a great friend.”
“Alexis Jane, come on and
help us with this new recipe for chocolate chip cookies,” Ailish held out her
hand. “The silly recipe calls for the color-coated chocolate candies as well. I
feel like I’m making Victor’s trail mix.”
Kinsey laughed before her
peripheral vision caught Donovan glancing up at her from his recliner in front
of the television. She watched as the three other women headed for the kitchen,
and she made cautious steps toward the man she fought with for years.
“Thank you for your help
this morning,” she said, folding her hands in front of her gray wool slacks.
“There’s nothing to thank.
I may not agree with you being in that house, or think that you have any
business raising that child, but there was nothing there giving any footing for
her allegations.”
His voice, though not as
gruff as usual, still sounded like a rebuke to her.
“For what it’s worth,
Officer Huntingdon, I have changed. I have grown. Moreover, without sounding bigheaded,
I think I’ve done a pretty good job with my daughter after she woke me up. You
remember that after my parents died, she would not say a word. With the life I led,
I found that a blessing as I did not have to put up with a spoiled child throwing
temper tantrums and back talking me. Then that last night I saw you, before I
moved back here, she spoke her first word. She called out for me, and her voice
was the most precious thing I ever heard while in rehab. I have made myself the
best I can be for her, to give her a good life, and I thank you for being there
that night as well. You took that bullet for me. Pastor Jon told me.”
Her last statement brought
shock to his green eyes as he stared at her. His jaw dropped but he remained
silent for a moment.
“About time you woke up,
Berkley,” he said before taking a drink of his coffee.
“And thanks for calling
Wendy. It means a lot that she’s here. I have meant for her to see Alexis Jane,
but we were never able to make our schedules match. I'm glad they were able to
meet today.”
Donovan made only a slight
grunt and gave a wave of his hand as he tried to keep his eyes staring at the television.
“No beer for the football
game?” Kinsey asked, taking a chance to sit down in Ailish’s recliner next to
him.
“Not with you coming
over.” He cleared his throat. “I thought after this morning, you didn’t need
any more temptation or speculation pointed your way. You tend to that bottle? I
heard the whole thing when I came in.”
“It’s in the trash in the
alley along with the glass from the cabinet. I hate the fact that someone broke
it. Dad made it.”
“I’ll see what I can do to
fix it for you then. And get those locks changed.”
Kinsey smiled and laid a
hand on the old man’s oversized one. She fought the tears in her eyes and stood
to go help in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it, Mrs.
Huntingdon,” she called as she heard the laughing from the kitchen. “JD!”
He stood there at the door
with a small box of wrapped presents under one arm, as his other held a
steaming glass dish on a hot pad.
“Merry Christmas Eve,
Kinsey,” he smiled as he hefted the box to keep his balance. “May I, or are you
heating the outside?”
With a blush, she gained
her composure and stepped aside. “Victor must have asked for a mini class
reunion. What’s next? Margaret Gladstone?”
“No,” he smiled. “I
usually have Christmas Eve dinner with Victor’s family before I head out to see
Mom. He gave me warning he invited Alexis Jane and you. I’m glad you’re here.”
Kinsey just smiled and
took his dish of stuffing so he could tend to the presents. “Any idea about the
big present he’s bringing for his family? That’s all he told Ailish that she’s
letting on.”
“Some,” his voice squeaked
as he planted a peck on her cheek. He slipped a card in her hand, and ducked
away toward Officer Huntingdon. “What’s the score?” he called.
“Notre Dame is winning, of
course.”
“Of course. Wouldn’t be
Christmas Eve otherwise.”
Kinsey opened the
envelope, smiled at the Snoopy Christmas card and read the one word “YES”
written in the biggest letters before the Happy Holidays, signed Joshua Dylan
Daniels. She sighed and with a smile returned to her original course toward the
kitchen. JD was going to help with the youth programs at the church.
One problem. That left her
as a focused target on the topic of attending church.
~ * ~
“Right on time,” Ailish
said as Kinsey set the last of the dinnerware on the table. “Alexis Jane, would
you please go open the door for Victor? Only heaven knows why the child is
ringing the doorbell.”
Kinsey felt the
butterflies in her stomach flutter out of control again at the sound of his
name, and she held tight to the carved wood on the chair in front of her. Wendy's
hand came over and took hold of hers with a tight squeeze. Kinsey looked back
at the woman who just seemed to hold back a secret and knew Kinsey would need
her strength.
“Merry Christmas…Eve,”
Alexis Jane faltered as she opened the door, and then looked right at Kinsey as
everyone watched Victor walk in.
Kinsey took a step back as
she hoped she did not see what she guessed he held. Could this be the reason
for the tension between JD and Wendy? They seemed to have a silent conversation
between glances ever since they started setting the table.
Victor's right hand
strained against the weight of several gift bags. A duffle bag hung from his
shoulder, and in his left arm, leaning against his shoulder, a young child
slept.
“Merry Christmas Eve,
everyone,” he tried to say with enthusiasm, but his lips twitched and his face
paled.
Kinsey saw the circles
under his eyes, revealing the fact he had not slept well on his trip.
“Well, Victor, don’t be
rude. Who is your little friend?” Ailish asked as she walked forward, and
beamed at the sleeping angel as she tried to take off the black faux fur winter
coat.
“Everyone,” he said, but
still kept his stare fixed at Kinsey. “This is my daughter, Moira Constance
Thomas-Cambridge.”
Kinsey could not have
heard right? His daughter? The girl was maybe four, five years old.
Wendy's hand again
squeezed strength into hers. She knew. Wendy and JD both knew the great big
surprise. Kinsey wanted to cry, run, scream and make it all go away, but felt
frozen to her spot.
“You call that a bloody
Christmas gift?” Donovan broke the silence. “Bringing home an illegitimate
child from England?”
“She’s still a child,
Donovan, and you won’t spoil her Christmas,” Ailish said bustling around Victor
to help him with the packages and his own coat. “Take her to your old room and
make sure she’s warm enough. When she wakes up, we’ll make sure she has a nice
dinner, and a wonderful Christmas.”
Kinsey expected this
response from Ailish. It was so as not to awaken and frighten the child in his
arms, but she knew that Victor was headed for a long lecture after they heard
the whole story. Still, she could not move. She pursed her lips together to
keep from dropping her jaw, or saying anything to make things worse.
“Let’s eat,” Ailish said,
resting a hand on her shoulder.
“Wendy, say grace and then
JD can start passing things around while Mr. Huntingdon cuts the ham. Off you
go, Victor. Let the child rest before she has to wake to all these strangers.”
Victor nodded at his
grandmother and turned his head to break his stare, trying to read Kinsey’s
reaction before he started toward the stairs.
~ * ~
“So how was the flight
back with Moira?” JD asked as he passed the gravy to Victor.
“She did fine,” he said,
clearing his throat, and absently spooned the white peppered liquid over his
mashed potatoes. “She held out like a champ at the funeral.”
“So, let me get this
straight,” his grandfather asked from the head of the table, with his wife to
his left flashing glares at him, warning not to ruin their dinner. “You go fly
off to your college in England after our argument, and get a classmate
pregnant. Now she has died and you’re stuck with a child you never spoke about
to anyone but your best friend. Am I correct in summarizing your story so far?”
“I did not ‘just get her
pregnant.’ You make it sound so dirty.”
“Were ye married?” his
grandfather asked, his piercing green eyes aimed at Victor with a point of his
fork.
“No,” Victor sighed and
raked through his food.
“Then let your conscience
make its own decisions and be done with it.”
“My conscience is fine.
I’ve been in close contact with Kathryn the whole time I’ve been back here. I
offered to marry her, but she refused. I have gone before the church…”
“So I suppose that pastor
you’re so chummy with knows of her?”
“Yes,” Victor said and
looked back down at his plate.
“Your whole church knows?”
“No. They only know that I
confessed of a sin.”
“And you’re still a
deacon? What kind of church is this? The Catholic Church would have booted you
out on your a-”
“Donovan,” Ailish warned
and gave an apologetic smile to Alexis Jane.
“One that forgives when
you say you’re sorry and leaves it at that.” Victor remained calm, and took a
drink of the eggnog in his frosted, crystal goblet.
“We’ll see how they ‘leave
it at that’ when you parade her to her Sunday School class. How do you know the
child is yours?” Donovan scoffed. “Just because she has curls in her hair?”
“Because I knew Kathryn.”
He looked over at Kinsey,
who sat with her hands on her lap and stared at her food. He wished she would
say something, anything to show some emotion. Did he push her farther away?
Should he tell her Moira's life was connected to the night of the raid?
“She’s beautiful,” Alexis
Jane said beside her mother. “She looks like the baby sister I’ve dreamed
about.”
Kinsey closed her eyes and
stood up from the table. “Excuse me a moment.”
With quiet footsteps, she
walked down the hall to the bathroom.
Victor watched the light
reflected against the wall fade as the door closed.
“How old is she?” Alexis
Jane asked as though it were a common everyday occurrence to bring another
child into the family.
Victor knew she
understood. She wanted to greet any child with the same love given her despite
the circumstances of her birth. “She will be five next month. She and I have
the same birthday.”
“That is so cool. Makes it
easier to remember, too. I wish you had warned me. I saw this cute baby doll at
the store the other day. Maybe if she’s still there on Monday, I can still get
her. I saved my allowance for Christmas presents this year. You missed Taylor’s
face when she
opened hers.”
“What did you get her?”
Victor asked as he turned his focus to her.
“I won a purity ring off
eBay. With Mom watching me.” She raised her hands in defense as Victor raised
his eyebrow toward her. “She about cried because it has a cameo of a dove with
the peace branch. Pastor Jon and Cecelia went in on it with me since I asked
their permission to get it for her. She was bawling.” Alexis Jane gave a small
giggle in her triumph, and Victor found it contagious. At least he had one
person on his side.
A small sniffle from the
top of the stairs caught his attention and he looked up to see the small
pouting face look down at him as the back of a tiny hand rubbed one of her big
brown eyes. He sighed as he rose to go up to her.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you
hungry?”
She did not answer, except
to cross her legs and jump up and down.
“This way, love.” Victor
swung her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom next to the room where
he’d left her to nap. “Be right back,” he called.
~ * ~
“How dare he!” Kinsey
hissed as she looked in the mirror.
The puffy redness around
her eyes was the only evidence of her crying she could not wash away. Her stomach
and heart twisted and ached in paralyzing pain; she felt stabbed and punched.
Was this how Victor felt when he first found out about Alexis Jane? He never mentioned
nor hinted toward a daughter. However, her mind did wander back to Cecelia’s
face as they sat and drank coffee. ‘I’m surprised not to see a wedding ring
on his finger and a child of his own bouncing from his knee.’
Now she saw the child. She
knew he was not perfect. Everyone fell, Christians and non-believers alike. She
understood the fear he must have felt all the way to England to help his
friend’s family straighten things out after her death. The death of this little
girl’s mother.
God, he has tried to be
there for Alexis Jane and me. Please, help me see through to the innocence of
this child and help them as well. You know all I want to do is run. I am tired
of running. Help me, Father. Please.
“Kinsey,” Wendy's soft
voice melted through the door with a light knock. “Do you need to talk?”
“Sorry,” she said as she
opened the door. “I just did not feel well there for a moment. I'm fine.”
“No, you're not, but I’m
here, and we can go out on the patio if you need. Everyone would understand.”
“Thank you, but really. I
am fine. Too much coffee, I guess.”
Wendy gave her a
reassuring smile and took her hand to lead her back to the table. “Stand
strong. You can control how you handle this. Just keep praying for God's guidance.”
“Every step of the way,”
Kinsey breathed with a deep release of a breath she did not know she held. She
took a step out of the restroom and found Alexis Jane's excited smile.
Nothing was going to phase her daughter's Christmas.
~ * ~
“She’s quiet,” Alexis Jane
said as she sat on the couch next to Victor.
“She’s asleep,” he
whispered as he ran his hand through the curls lying across his lap. “Jet lag,
crying. She has a lot of adjusting to do.”
His eyes swept over to
Kinsey as she rocked in the wooden chair and read the new book he brought her
from an antique store. She had remained there since Wendy left on a call to a
drunk-driving accident.
“Has she said a word at
all?” Alexis Jane asked with concern.
“No,” he sighed and looked
over at her. “Apparently, according to my friend Rose, who watched her while Kathryn
spent her last days in the hospital, Moira has not said a word since her
mother’s death.”
“Kinsey, dear,” Ailish
called from the kitchen. “Cheyenne has something stuck in her paw. Could you give
me a hand? I hate to interrupt the game and Victor has his hands full.”
“I’ve been there,” Alexis
Jane nodded her head a moment after her mother left and she took the much smaller
hand in her own. “I was there when Grandma and Grandpa died. I saw everything.
That was when I got Mercy.” Alexis Jane showed him the doll she had not let go
of all morning. “It was Valentine’s Day and Grandpa took me to a movie. I had
my eye on Mercy for a long time because I loved her pink outfit. I even wore an
identical one, and he said I could have her when we stopped at the store to
visit Mr. Yong. Grandma had some rhubarb preserves for his wife. I went to pick
her up off the shelf and heard the yelling. When I came up the aisle… Grandpa
argued with him to try to reason with the man. It didn’t work, and the shots
fired one right after another until he turned and saw me. He said he was sorry,
and I tried to hide my face in Mercy’s hair, but I wasn’t fast enough. I did
not move. I did not talk. I did not even cry until Cecelia drove me up to be
with Mom.
“When you’re so young, you
just don’t understand and you want so much to have them back and be loved
again. I wouldn’t talk to anyone until the riot. Screaming for Mom was the
first word I said. I guess I feared she was leaving, too.”
“So,” Victor asked,
putting an arm around her. “You think she will talk to me?”
“In time. I’m happy you’re
the first one I talked to after Pastor Jon brought me out of the scene.”
“Really?” He looked at her
and her green eyes smiled back up at him.
“Really. You’ll be fine
with Moira, Mr. Cambridge.”
She cuddled into him and
began rubbing the younger child’s back. “She’s so cute. She looks a lot like
you.”
“Thank you, Alexis Jane.”
“Merry Christmas, Mr.
Cambridge. And thanks again for the art supplies.”
“Merry Christmas, Alexis
Jane. Thank you for being an understanding friend.”
“It’s what Jesus would
do.”
Twenty-two
Kinsey did not return
inside after helping with Cheyenne. Victor found her out on the back porch wrapped
in a quilt and watching the dogs play.
“I can still call and make
arrangements for Alexis Jane to have Hercules’ brother. I heard the rest of the
puppies were a little more cooperative in their housebreaking and if they don’t
find owners soon, they’ll have to go to the pound.”
Kinsey closed her eyes and
licked her lips before she looked at him. How he wished he knew what she was thinking.
“Are you trying to play to
my soft side for my daughter who has to part with your puppy now that you’re
back, or with my dislike of any animal having to face the pound?”
Victor thought about that
before bringing her coffee to the patio table. “Both.”
She tried to hide her
smile as she rubbed her cold nose inside the blanket, but he saw the rise in
her cheeks, and the glimmer in her eyes. “I’ll let you know before I leave.”
“I’m relieved you didn’t
bolt for the door when you saw Moira.”
“I couldn’t, you were
blocking it.” She gave a small smile, and he relaxed with the fact she could
have a sense of humor through her day. Wendy had talked with him and JD before
her call came.
Kinsey watched him for a
moment and he gave her the time needed to say more if she wanted to. “Thank God
for that one. I have been in silent prayer ever since. Now I understand the
shock you felt when you saw Alexis Jane. I do not judge you, or Moira. I just
don’t understand. You were always so set on waiting for marriage… Even with me…
Especially with me.”
Victor thought for a
moment how to explain. “Kathryn and I never had what you and I had. She knew
that and that’s why she would not marry me. She feared she could never live up
to what I felt for you. We were good friends from the time you left, and I am
not going to say, ‘it just happened.’ Moira is my daughter and a lesson
about getting my temper in check. I took my anger out in a burst of passion. I
let it get the best of me. I returned from…a spring break after having an awful
argument with my grandfather, and Kathryn just found out she was dying.
We consoled each other, not caring at that time what happened
the next morning, as long as for that one night we could just put everything
behind us. The pregnancy took a lot out of her strength. She would not end it,
for which I am grateful, but the doctors did try to push it.
“Moira is very fortunate
to have had the chance at life, as her beginning started a little rocky. I
asked Kathryn to marry me the morning after we woke up together, and she refused.
She thanked me for loving her, and she went on with her life, living it for our
daughter.
“I kept in contact after
we graduated, spending Christmas and part of the summer breaks with them. I
sent checks to help all the time, like a child support check, though there were
no legalities saying I had to. I sent cards for every occasion, birthday,
anniversary of that night, Mother’s Day, and she returned contact with cards. However,
she was right not to accept my proposal. She did not want it to be a cover for
guilt, and that’s all it would have been.”
“I think I would have
liked Kathryn.” Kinsey sighed as she listened to him with a smile of
understanding on her face.
“She liked you. I talked
to her all the time about you. Though you two never met, if things had been
different, I bet you would have made great friends, and JD could have been her
husband and Moira’s dad.”
“And Alexis Jane could
have been yours? Nice fantasy. But that’s all it is.”
“Fantasies that create a smile are good for that
moment of joy.” He watched her face try to control the tears. “Do you see us as
a fantasy?”
Her eyes were slow to move
towards him. “What do you mean?”
Here she goes again with
the games, he thought before he leaned on his elbows and looked at her with
every bit of seriousness he could. “Do you think us being together again is a
fantasy? Going back to the way we were at fifteen?”
“I cannot do that,” she said. She started to
wiggle in her seat as a hand emerged from the quilt to take her coffee.
He saw it shake so hard, she sloshed some of the dark liquid to the frost
on the cement. “Can you not see it?” she asked. “We were ripped apart, and
there is no going back.”
“Then let’s start again.
Kinsey, I cannot raise Moira on my own, and I still love you. Tell me that
Christmas is not the season for healing. Tell me that is not its purpose. Because
if you do, then Jesus’ life is a lie and we celebrate His birthday as an empty
holiday with the rest of the world. Tell me that and make me believe it.”
Victor rose from his seat,
let one of his white tennis shoes step in the coffee to remind him of its spot
as he knelt on one knee. He took her coffee from her and put her trembling
hands in his. “All I want for Christmas is for the games to stop. All the cards
are out on the table. We
each know each other’s past. I know of Alexis Jane
and you know of Moira. I can’t stop thinking of you, and the whole time you
went through that fear at the school, it broke my heart you would not let me
help. Please, Kinsey. Let’s stop playing these games. Let’s start over. It’s
not too late. You’re back.”
“I am not planning on
staying, though,” she whispered.
“I’ll leave that in God’s
hands, if you will just try. Even if it’s just for Christmas.” She looked as
though she would fight and shake her head to deny him, but one of his hands
gently took hold of her face to make her look at him. “May I at least ask for
your help in getting Moira settled tonight? Then come by tomorrow and join me
for breakfast. Probably a late breakfast with the five hour time difference for
her.”
“I do not want to get
Alexis Jane’s hopes up and let her become too attached to Moira.”
“Too late. She’s camped
out with Moira and Mercy on Grams’ couch. Please, Kinsey. Let us heal before
you make any decisions on where you will go.”
She sat quietly for a
moment watching Cheyenne lie down and Hercules pull at her ears. Time stood
still as Victor waited with bated breath. He prayed for God to touch her heart
and place a crack in the barrier she kept trying to reinforce.
“I will think about the
puppy as I help you with your daughter tonight. Lord knows you’ve helped me a
lot with mine.”
Victor looked up into her
eyes and loved to see the teasing smile there.
“How else are single
parents to survive child raising if we don’t stick together?” She nudged him.
On impulse, he stood and
placed a kiss on her lips.
“Too bad Grams doesn’t
like mistletoe. I’ll have to make sure I have some for tomorrow.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,
Cambridge.”
“Too late, Berkley. Next
to God, you are my hope.”
Taking advantage of her
seated position, he laid another kiss on her lips, and felt the wings on his
heart flutter again as she let go and returned it.
“Merry Christmas,” he
whispered before he heard the back door open.
“Are either of you two
interested in pie?” Ailish asked. “Or can I not offer you anything sweeter than
each other?”
“Mrs. Huntingdon!” Kinsey
said as she moved her chair back from his reach and stood. “I believe I will
have a sliver of your cherry pie.”
“Make that two, Grams.”
Victor jogged to keep up. For the rest of the night, he was not letting her out
of his sight.
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