Page 23 of Shelter for Tanna

“Of course. Remember?appropriate interactions.” She needn’t have worried. As soon as Max cleared the car door, he didn’t even close it, just ran straight to Braden and threw his arms around the firefighter’s waist. Tanna was shocked. He never greeted anyone that enthusiastically, and yet there he was, chattering away.

“I don’t believe what I’m seeing,” Daniel whispered to his mom.

“Me either, but for god’s sake, just count it as a blessing and don’t make a fuss over it,” Tanna whispered back to her eldest son.

One of the boys playing in the yard ran right up to Max. “I’m Drake! That’s Devon,” he said, pointing back at his brother. “Wanna play?”

“Mom, can I play?” Max asked.

“Of course! Go have fun. And remember?”

“I know, I know. Appropriate interactions. I remember.” She watched as he ran off toward the boys and began kicking the ball around.

It only took a couple of minutes for Braden to introduce her around, and she was surprised to find that his dad had been a special education teacher in the public school system there for years. His mom was a “lunch lady,” and his sister worked at the board of education office as a supervisor to the school counselors. Education was of the ultimate importance in their family, and she took comfort in the fact that if ever there was a family who could handle Max, it would be them.

But the biggest surprise was the house. She hadn’t known what to expect when she first saw it, and in her mind she saw antique furniture, checked curtains, and black and white tile bathrooms. Instead, the inside of the house was extremely modern, from the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen to the beautiful parquet hardwood in the living room. It wasn’t what she would’ve called luxurious, but it was definitely nice. And it was obviously lived in. There were personal touches everywhere, from pictures on the walls to high school trophies and a golden ax, apparently given as an award for something. The whole house was lovely, but it wasn’t fancy at all, just warm and comfortable. And roomy?so much roomier than her house. He hadn’t taken her upstairs, but she’d seen the master bedroom and it was gorgeous and done in the most intriguing combination of green and gray. She’d never seen anything like it, and Braden seemed very proud of everything he’d done to his home.

The women set about working in the kitchen as the men grilled outside, and Tanna found herself relaxing. Everyone was friendly and warm, and his sister was a hoot. His mother was pretty funny too. Tanna had almost gotten the slaw made when she heard screaming and shouting from outside. Without another thought, she dropped the utensil in her hand and headed to the door.

Max was outside in the throes of a major meltdown, but as soon as her feet touched the porch, Braden caught her eye and threw up a hand. “No. We’ve got this.”

“But I need to?”

“No, Tanna. We can handle it. Go back to what you were doing.” When she balked, glancing at Max’s tear-stained face, Braden’s voice cut through her fog. “Tanna, no. We’ve got it. Go back inside.”

All she could do was stutter, “O-o-o-okay.” Max was yelling as she turned her back to the chaos, and she could hear him screaming for her as she went. And then something magical happened.

It got quiet. She stopped in the kitchen doorway, aware of Marsha and Jessica watching her. She couldn’t hear a sound except for the voices of the kids playing on the lawn. Instead of heading back into the kitchen, she tiptoed back to the front door and peered out.

Max was playing ball with the rest of the boys as though nothing had happened. Her jaw dropped as she stared. What the hell? When she realized Braden was watching her, she turned to look his direction and saw him give her a thumbs-up and a big smile.

Holy shit!That was the only thought she could squeeze out of her brain. How had that gone down? Better yet, why did it matter? It had happened, and she should just be glad. Wandering slowly back to the kitchen, she was greeted by Marsha and Jessica, both grinning. “Honey,” Marsha said quietly, “Braden told you we can handle Max and his differences. Do you believe him now?”

Tanna could feel her knees weaken and her ankles turn to jelly, and in a few seconds she had plopped down in a kitchen chair, face resting on the table. A soft hand landed on the back of her neck and she heard Jessica whisper, “It’s gonna be okay. It’s all under control. Just relax and try to have a good time.”

That was all it took for her to break into sobs. Everything Braden had said was true, and these people, they were angels, that’s what they were. After years of everything turning to shit, how had she found something that was so right? “I’m, I’m, I’m…” she stammered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Quit apologizing. You’re exhausted. I know exactly what that’s like.” There was the sound of a chair scraping the floor right beside her, and Tanna looked up to see Marsha sitting there, her face the epitome of compassion. “Did Braden tell you about his little brother?” Tanna shook her head. “He was born when Braden was eight and Jessica was four. He had cystic fibrosis. He only lived to be three. I was with him constantly until he passed. After the funeral, I came home and slept for four days straight because I was so exhausted from the years of caring for him and the constant stress. When I woke up, I felt like a whole new person and guilty as hell. I wasn’t relieved that my son was dead, but it felt that way. Took a lot of grief counseling to understand that I was just responding to everything the only way my body knew how. I was lucky to have Jake and the kids to support me. Braden told us all the things you’ve been through with no one to help you. Let us do that, sweetie?let us help you. Be with my son, don’t be with my son. Doesn’t matter. We can all still be friends, and we can still support you.”

Tanna couldn’t stop blubbering. “Why? Why would you care about me? About my boys? We’re nobody to you.”

“Ah, but that’s not true. You’re our neighbors, and we’re told to love our neighbors. And I’ll tell you something else. Our son has seen something in you that he admires, that he thinks is worth his time and effort. Braden is a lot of things. He can be arrogant as all get-out. Hard-headed and stubborn. Silly and goofy. Sweet and romantic. But above everything, he’s a good, solid man. People he loves know they’re loved.” She grinned. “If he wants to be in a relationship with you, let me tell you, you could do a lot worse, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son. He’s a pretty fantastic human being in spite of all my shortcomings as a parent!”

“Looks to me like you’re a pretty good parent.” Tanna sniffled and wiped at her eyes until Jessica handed her a piece of paper towel. “He really is a good guy. I’ve never met anybody like him.”

“Yeah. You have. That man outside with him, the one he looks just like? He’s the same. We’ve been together forty years and I wouldn’t trade a day of it. Now, dry your eyes and come help us. Enjoy some female company for a change. You’ll go home with nothing but males soon enough!” Tanna stood but before she could take a step, Marsha wrapped her arms around the younger woman and squeezed. It was the first time a woman had hugged her in several years, and it felt good to be part of that sisterhood. “Jess, can you check and see how the guys are coming with the meat?”

Jessica threw open the kitchen window and shouted out, “Hey, how’s the meat coming?”

Marsha rolled her eyes. “I could’ve done that from here.”

That made Tanna laugh and in a couple of minutes, Marsha and Jessica were laughing too. It was amazing, standing there in that kitchen with two women who obviously had their shit together, and she wondered if she could take lessons from them. Grace under pressure?that’s what she was missing. It was what she’d seen in Braden. She wasn’t sure how to develop it, but she wanted to try.

Once they were all seated at the table, Tanna was interested to see that they insisted on saying grace, but she didn’t mind. Sure didn’t hurt anything to be thankful for what you had. Max was seated beside her so she could watch him, and Braden was on his other side. He picked over the food but the hot dogs were his first choice, and he added some chips and a pickle. As they ate, Jake and Marsha asked him questions, and he was respectful and attentive. Something in the air in that house, some thread of love and calmness, ran through everything they did, and Max had picked up on it, she was sure. Could she maintain that kind of household?

With Braden’s help, she could. He had a patience about him that was infectious. Maybe it was because he worked a dangerous job, but he didn’t get in a hurry and he didn’t get flustered. Tanna couldn’t kid herself. She knew she was tightly wound when it came to Max, and some of it was borne of exhaustion. The child couldn’t help but pick up on it. Braden could help her, she was sure.

“Babe? You with us?” a voice said, breaking through her reverie.

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