Page 33 of When I'm Gone
“You want to help me decorate May’s cake?” she asked. “I’ll let you lick the spoon.” Propped on Annie’s hip, Clayton nodded emphatically.
Brian stood in front of Luke, suddenly dropping his jokester demeanor.
“So, Luke, I have a hugefavorto ask of you.” He’d found a beer from the fridge and opened it already. The way Brian emphasized “favor” made the muscles in Luke’s shoulders tighten.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I don’t know if Annie told you or not, but I’m interviewing for a new job right now.”
“A new job? Like a promotion within the police department?”
“No.” Brian took a swig. “Not with the police department at all. It’s with this private security company.” He smoothed out his button-up shirt—always put together, tidy, efficient.
“Oh, that sounds ... great.” Luke raised his eyebrows and pretended he knew what a job in “private security” entailed.
“I’m trying not to get my hopes too high, but I’m pretty excited about the opportunity. More flexibility, more perks, more money.” He said the last part quietly.
Luke shuffled his feet and tried to figure out where the whole conversation was heading. “Sounds exciting,” was the best he could muster.
“It’s cool stuff, like Secret Service for rich people.” He finished off his beer in one long drink. “So, anyway, I needed some personal references, and it couldn’t be anyone from the station. I wondered if I could, maybe, put your name down? They might call you, ask some questions. You up for that?”
Brian placed a heavy hand on Luke’s shoulder, and Luke could see why the police officer was good at his job. If you’d committed a crime, Brian standing over you with his dark eyes, thick muscles, and knowing smirk would make you want to pee your pants. He wasn’t a man you said no to easily; besides, it sounded like the position would be good for Annie. No more late nights, less danger, better salary.
“Yeah. Sure. Put me down. I’d be glad to help out.”
“Great.” Brian slapped his hand down on Luke’s shoulder one more time. “They might not even call you, but if they do, let me know. Okay?”
Luke nodded as Annie walked up.
“Jessie’s here. Should we order the pizza?” she asked.
“I already did. I need to pick it up from Sammy’s. I’ve got a coupon somewhere.” Luke searched through the countless pieces of paper held to his fridge by various-size magnets. Natalie had a requirement for students who took a trip during the school year; they had to bring back a magnet for Mrs. Richardson. Over twelve years of teaching, she had quite a collection. She could tell the story behind each and every one. “You guys okay staying with the kids?”
“Uh, how about you give me the coupon, and I’ll pick up the pizza?” Brian yanked the slick square of paper out of Luke’s hand and pulled a large key chain out of his pocket. “I’m not much of a babysitter.”
“Sure.” Luke grabbed a couple of twenties out of his wallet and handed them to Brian. “That should cover it.”
“K. Shouldn’t take long.” Brian retucked his shirt into his belted jeans. He took one step and then turned, like he’d forgotten something. Grabbing Annie’s arm, he flipped her around and dramatically threw her toward the ground, his arm stopping her right before she hit the floor. Then he kissed her.
Will and May watched from the table with a chorus of “ewwwww,” which only seemed to encourage Brian to dip Annie down farther, like they were in a movie. When they finally parted, Annie was gasping, and the kids were laughing harder than they had in weeks. Luke wasn’t sure if he was imagining things, but he could’ve sworn Brian gave him a little look after letting Annie go—a look that said, “I can do this because she’s mine.”
“That was so gross,” May said, still laughing. She was having fun on her birthday, and for a moment she wasn’t missing her mom. As Luke watched May, she caught his eye, and her smile fell. The room was filled with laughter and celebration, all for her, but her eyes were asking him a question—is it really all right to be this happy without Mom?
“It’s okay. Be happy,” Luke mouthed. Little pools of tears gathered on her lower eyelashes, and when she smiled, one tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly and laughed again when Will made exaggerated kissing sounds.
Jessie rapped her knuckles on the table. “Hey, guys! I have some party hats I brought for us to decorate. Let’s get started while we wait for the food?”
“Yay!” May shouted. Will rolled his eyes but was a good sport, putting Clayton in his booster seat before sitting next to Jessie, whom May was hugging while saying over and over, “Jessie, you’re the best.The best.”
“Do you think Jessie is ‘the best’?” Annie asked, turning her back to the table and straightening her smudged lip gloss with her index finger. Luke turned to face Annie. This close he could make out the color of her eye shadow, a light shimmering blue, and see the mole on her right cheek that she always tried to cover up with makeup. Today she was covering more than the mole. Luke could make out a dark spot on Annie’s cheek, covered by a heavy dose of concealer. He leaned closer; something about the coloring was familiar to him.
“Well, probably not the way I’d put it, but yeah,” he answered, distracted. “She’s been great.”
“So, you know she’s pretty sick, right?” Annie rolled a piece of paper towel between her palms. “Will said she can’t eat certain foods, takes all kinds of medicines, and I hate to say it, but sometimes she comes off as a little immature. Do you really think she’s up for taking care of these guys?” She folded her arms, waiting for Luke’s reply.
Luke cocked his head, trying to get a better look at what he was now sure was a bruise. It wasn’t just the mark on her face that startled him. Annie usually saw the best in people; her concerns about Jessie seemed very out of the blue.
He answered in slow, fragmented sentences. “She looks tired sometimes, but she’s good with the kids. Maybe a little immature, but she’s an only child and her mom died when she was twelve. She’s a grown woman. I’m not going to start telling her what she can and cannot handle.”
