Authors: Lori H. Leger,Kimberly Killion
Tags: #Fiction, #Contemporary Women
“It was high school and a little bit of college.”
“A little bit of college?” Bill asked incredulously. “You had scouts for the major leagues watching you.”
“Keep it to yourself, Uncle Bill. Nobody wants to hear about any of that, or why it didn’t happen.”
Bill stared at his nephew while shaking his head. “What could it hurt, Jackson? It’s not like you’ve tooted your own damn horn about it all these years. And that bitch, Chloe, isn’t around anymore to kick you down about throwing your shoulder out before you hit the big time.”
Jackson clenched down on his jaw. “Don’t say her name around me. That part of my life is over with, and so is baseball.”
Bill lowered his sunglasses to look down his nose at his nephew. “You know, your attitude of not dealing with things, not talking about anything...Well, hell, boy. That can’t be healthy.”
Jackson turned to his uncle wearing a stern look of warning. “Trust me, Uncle Bill.
You
don’t want to go there.”
<><><>
CHAPTER 6
The rest of the week continued to be a succession of drizzly, dreary days. Every morning, Giselle woke early to the sound of deep rolling thunder and rain pounding on the roof of her home. Every morning, she thought of Toby then rolled over and reached for the Percocet. She swallowed a pill with the glass of milk Carrie placed on her nightstand then went back to sleep for another two hours.
Every morning, Jackson called Carrie’s cell phone to ask how things were going. As of yet, the reports hadn’t varied. The girls were fine, although they missed their dad terribly, but Giselle was not so good.
On Friday morning, the rain finally stopped, allowing the sun to break free in a brilliant display. Carrie got the girls off to school then went home to do a few things while Giselle slept. As she pulled up into her empty parking spot beside Sam’s truck, he came out to meet her.
“Hey Sugar,” she said.
Sam pulled his wife into his arms. “I miss you, Babe. Going to bed without you brings back bad memories.”
“I know, Sam. Maybe by Monday she’ll feel well enough so that I can come home at night. Right now there’s no way she can handle the girls. I’d tell you to come meet me, but I’m sleeping on the sofa because the mattress in the master bedroom is so bad.”
“Is she still camped out in the guest room?”
Carrie nodded. “I was hoping she’d have tackled that by now.”
“She may need a little more time, hon. That house is so full of the feel of Toby. That’s got to be difficult for her to live with.”
“It’s learning to live without it that’s difficult for her.” Carrie took her husband’s hand and walked inside.
<><><>
By the last week in March, Giselle was better physically, but still wallowing in depression. Carrie and her girls visited often and tried to get her to come out of the house, but she wouldn’t budge. The melancholy atmosphere of their home began to take a tremendous toll on Mackenzie and Lexie.
Jackson and Sam took turns doing Giselle’s yard work the first few weekends, but with the approach of ball season, Sam was busy getting the park’s baseball fields ready for play. As a result, Jackson had spent the last two Saturdays working in Giselle’s yard.
Mac and Lexie, drawn to anyone who paid them attention, usually spent the day helping him out in the yard. Jackson’s heart ached for the little girls he’d grown so fond of. He knew they missed the life they had before their father died and he tried to compensate wherever he could.
The day before Kenton’s opening day of baseball season, Carrie walked into Jackson’s office and plopped down in a chair across from his desk. She kicked off one heel and leaned over to rub her foot, before catching his curious gaze.
“Are you and Bill still interested in making Mac and Lexie’s ballgames?”
He stacked the set of plans he’d been studying on top of another set. “Absolutely. Tomorrow is opening day, isn’t it?” At Carrie’s nod he continued. “You don’t think Giselle will mind, do you?”
She slipped her shoe back on and stood up. “I can’t imagine why, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to call her.”
“I’ll do it as soon as I get a chance,” he said.
<><><>
The chance didn’t come until around eleven o’clock. He waited nervously for her to answer and took a deep breath.
“Giselle, it’s Jackson. How are you?”
“I’m okay.”
“I know your girls have games tomorrow for opening day. Would it be okay if Bill and I go to watch them?”
“I’d forgotten about opening day,” she said. “I don’t know. I guess so. I don’t think I can handle that right now, Jackson.”
“Bill and I will take care of them for you, Giselle.”
“Everyone’s already doing so much for us around here, I feel like such a burden.”
“You’re the only one that thinks that.”
“I wish things could be like they were,” she said, barely above a whisper.
Jackson was quiet for a moment as he ran a hand through his hair. “Believe me, we all wish the same thing,” he murmured, before clearing his throat. “If it’s dry enough on Sunday, I’ll mow your lawn.”
“You don’t have to keep doing that; I can hire someone.”
He stood up and walked nervously to the window of his office to look outside. “Look, I’ve got all this free time on my hands, remember?” He listened as she released a long sigh before speaking again.
“That’s fine, I don’t care,” she said, before hanging up.
Jackson stared at the dead phone in his hand. He thought of the years of performances Chloe had given him. Compared to the genuine article, his wife’s act had been nothing.
At the end of his workday, Jackson drove to his gym. His membership had been a birthday
gift
from Chloe, whose gifts to him always contained a not so hidden barb. This one had come with the snide comment, “Love handles on men your age are never attractive, Darling.” Even though he hadn’t the slightest hint of love handles, he’d tried to work out twice a week, despite Chloe’s demands and tantrums. Now that he had free time on his hands, he was able to go nearly every day or night of the week. He didn’t see any difference in the way he looked yet, but he felt remarkably better.
<><><>
With the dawn of Saturday morning came the promise of a beautiful day. Jackson and Bill walked into the ballpark at a quarter till eight, amazed at the horde of people there already.
“Kenton’s serious about their summer league. Look at this crowd,” Bill commented.
“Sam said that everyone shows up for opening ceremony but it thins out as the games begin. Mac and Lex each have two games to play today, but I’m not sure about the times.” Jackson stared at the groups of kids running around in uniforms. “I can’t pick anyone out...Hell they all look alike suited up.”
Bill laughed at his nephew. “That’s why I’m looking for Sam. That big boy will stand out in a crowd, no matter what he’s wearing.” He pointed. “Look, he’s at the concession stand.”
Sam looked up as Jackson called his name. “Hey, I’m glad you two could make it,” he said, exchanging handshakes.
“Mac and Lex wouldn’t have let us live it down if we hadn’t. Did Giselle come?”
Sam shook his head while opening a case of chips for the workers. “No, she wasn’t feeling up to it. Carrie said she would be checking up on her all day in between catching up with some things that she wanted to do at the house. The girls are here already. They’ll be excited to see you two.”
“Can you tell us where to find them?”
Sam pointed to a spot in the stands and they walked in that direction. The two men, who towered above everyone else in the crowd, generated quite a bit of attention. Within seconds, Jackson heard his name called as Mackenzie, Lexie, and four other children ran up to him.
Lex threw her arms around his legs. “Jackson, you came to watch us play?”
He leaned over to hug both girls then reached down to pick her up. “Of course we did, just like we said we would.”
“Momma doesn’t feel well, so I’m glad we have you.”
“I’m glad too, Sweetie.”
Mac beamed up as Bill placed his hand gently on her head and pulled her to him for a hug. “Now,
who
are all of these kids?” Bill asked.
Mac introduced them to Cathryn, Allie, Emmelia, and Gage, all grandchildren of Sam and Carrie’s, and all in uniforms. Their mothers, Amanda, Gretchen, and Lauren walked up to hug the two men and told them how glad they were to see them there.
As soon as the ceremony was over, Lexie’s team took to the field. Jackson and Bill spent the next three hours watching the morning games of all the children, whooping and hollering when any one of them made a good play.
“I’ve never had so much fun in my life,” Jackson exclaimed, after the last morning game. “How many have second games?”
“They all do. The second round starts at one-thirty. We have two hours to feed this mob,” Lauren told him.
“Let me call your mom,” Sam told her. “Carrie said something about cooking lunch for everyone.”
Ten minutes later, they all piled into Carrie and Sam’s home. Carrie was in the kitchen putting out the last of the hot dog fixings.
“Hey Bill...Jackson. What’d you think of opening day?”
Jackson gave her a huge grin. “I can’t wait for the second round to start. I’m having a blast.”
“I’m glad you two are enjoying it. I grilled hot dogs for lunch. Grab a plate and serve yourselves, buffet style.” She pointed to a cooler. “Canned drinks are in there.”
“Thanks, Carrie.” Jackson leaned in close. “How’s Giselle?”
Carrie shrugged and opened a pack of hot dog buns. “She’s about the same, and I’m starting to worry. She wasn’t the least bit interested in today.”
“Has she tackled the master bedroom yet?” he asked.
Carrie shook her head. “She won’t even open the door.”
“Maybe she needs more time.”
“Maybe she needs to be reminded that she has two daughters who need her,” she said. “I was going to bring the girls back home to rest for awhile until it’s time for their next games. Would you and Bill want to bring them after lunch for me?”
“Sure, as soon as we finish eating,” he told her.
<><><>
Thirty minutes later, Mac and Lexie dragged the two men through the kitchen door of their home.
Giselle looked up from drinking her cup of coffee. Jackson noticed the dark circles accenting her pale, thin face. She looked childlike without her makeup, but so tired and unbearably sad, it nearly broke his heart. The girls were noticeably subdued the moment they walked through the door.
Bill sat beside Giselle at the table and took her hand. “Hey Hon, how are you feeling?”
“Hi Bill. I’m okay.” She turned to her daughters. “How were the games?”
“They were good, we both won,” Mackenzie said, quietly.
“Yeah, we both won,” Lexie repeated. She lifted her shoulders and let them drop, as she released a deep breath.
In all fairness, Giselle made a valiant effort to smile at her daughters, but Jackson noticed that the smile she gave them never seemed to reach her eyes. No doubt her daughters did too.
He sat at the table across from her. “Maybe by next week you’ll feel well enough to make one of their games.”
“Maybe so.”
“Mac hit two home runs, and I hit the ball off the tee twice, momma,” Lexie told her.
“That’s great, sweetie.”
“Jackson said that daddy was watching, so we did it for him. Ouch!” Lexie turned, ready to fuss at her sister for jabbing her in the ribs. She stopped when her mother got up from the table. The other four occupants of the room watched as Giselle walked into the guest bedroom, and closed the door.
“I told you not to talk about daddy,” Mac hissed at her sister. “It makes her cry.”
Lexie’s little face crumbled as she turned to Jackson for comfort. He picked her up and seated her on his long legs as she turned her face into his broad chest and sobbed. He held her close, and gently ran his hands through her silky curls, inhaling the scent of her children’s shampoo. “Don’t cry Lex. Your mom’s just hurting right now.”
“I’m s..so..orry Jackson, I th..thought she’d b..be happy that daddy was w..wa..watching us..s,” Lexie sobbed into his shirt. “I won’t s..say d..daa..dd..dy a..g..gain.”
“Maybe, just for now, Lex,” Jackson told her.
Bill grunted and gave his nephew a disapproving look.
“Uncle Bill,” he warned sternly, “Not now.”
Bill sighed then turned to the older child. “Mac, do you think you’d like to rest?”
She nodded, walked to her bedroom, and closed the door.
“How about you, Lex?” Jackson whispered softly into her ear. “Think you could take a little nap for me?”
“I want to st..stay with y..you,” she sniffed.
Jackson looked at his uncle, clearly at a loss as to what to do. Finally, he got up with her and asked if she wanted to sit next to him on the sofa.
“C..Can I get M..Mac?” she asked.
He nodded and put her down so she could get her sister. When the two girls came back into the room, Lexie snuggled up next to Jackson, and Mac took the spot next to Bill. It only took ten minutes or so for them to fall asleep on the large, comfortable sofa. Once they did, the men walked outside to the back patio so they could talk.