Page 4 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
She took several long, slow breaths and remembered her therapist’s instructions when she left.Takebaby steps. Remember you took a long time to get sick and you’ll take a long time to find your way back.
‘Thanks again. I mean it,’ Fee called out as he reached the front door and Tom turned with his hand on the latch.
‘No problem.’
Fee dropped down into the nearest chair as the door closed behind him. The silence was deafening. There was no escaping herself now and she was supposed to find that a good thing.
If his foot could reach his ass he’d give himself a hardkick. MrSaviour. It’d been Gina’s pet name for him. She always said he was on a mission to save the world but it hadn’t done him a damn bit of good when he couldn’t save his own wife. They’d been drinking coffee on their front porch, the first time in weeks that they’d spent any appreciable amount of time together without arguing. Out of nowhere Gary Higgins had appeared and aimed a gun at Gina.She hadn’t stood a chance and the image of his beautiful wife crying out his name with her dying breath still haunted him. Tom had been instrumental in getting Higgins sent to prison and within days of his release the man tracked them down to get his revenge in the worst possible way. As soon as he heard Fee’s distress today he’d rushed in like Superman.
Tom strode off back towards hisown cabin, kicking gravel and cursing under his breath all the way there. He pushed the cabin door open and headed straight for the office, checking out the clock on the wall to discover it was almost lunchtime. Tuesday was chicken and dumplings day at the Mockingbird Cafe and Aunt Ina’s good home cooking would do more than comfort his growling stomach. She’d fuss over him and right now he coulddo with a touch of family love.
He ran outside and hopped into his truck, firing it up and gunning the engine as he shoved it into gear and roared off down the gravel road. By the time he took the third hairpin curve at speed his temper abated and he eased back on the gas. If he arrived in town mad his mother would hear about it and he’d get one of her famous lectures. Over the last seventeenyears he’d suffered more than his fair share ofthose.
Tom pulled into a parking space outside the cafe and got out. He couldn’t help grinning as he ran his gaze over the outside of the building. Mary-Jo must have been busy because Halloween decorations completely covered the bright yellow paint. His fun-loving cousin was studying graphic design at UT Knoxville and enjoyed practising herskills on her long-suffering mother’s business. If there was an inch of the small building not covered with fake spider webs, gory skeletons and ghosts it escaped Tom’s attention. He headed towards the door and lowered his head to avoid becoming tangled up in the decor.
‘UncleT, UncleT!’
A red-haired bombshell raced across the room and threw herself at his knees. Tom scoopedup his adorable toddler cousin and turned her upside down. He held onto her plump little legs while he swung her around, setting off a crescendo of happy high-pitched screams and giggles.
‘Thomas Michael Chambers, put that child down right now or she’ll lose her lunch all over you and it’ll serve you right.’ Aunt Ina threw him a fierce glare as she ran out from the kitchen to rescue heryoungest granddaughter. ‘As if I don’t have enough goin’ on without you turnin’ up.’ Her laughing eyes belied her stern words. ‘I might’ve guessed you’d drag your sorry self in today to be fed.’
‘You know I never miss your chicken and dumplings if I can help it.’
‘We might be sold out,’ she protested.
‘C’mon we both know you always set a plate aside for your favourite nephew.Admit it, you wonderful woman.’ He squeezed her in a quick hug.
Ina snorted and tried to hold on to a wriggling Lulu with one hand. ‘You think you’re a charmer like your father.’
‘And you can’t resist it,’ he teased. Tom let go of his aunt and snatched Lulu back. He swung her up into his arms and the little girl wrapped her little hands around his neck. She gave her grandmothera triumphant smile.
‘Fine, have her. She can pester you instead of gettin’ under my feet. Mary-Jo won’t be back until four so we’ve a long day to get through yet.’
Tom’s smile tightened as he thought about Lulu’s absent father. Luke Durham, the tough football quarterback hadn’t been so sure of himself when faced with the prospect of fatherhood in his senior year of high school.Durham Senior, his slimy attorney father, shoved a bunch of money at Mary-Jo and dragged his son off to play for a big college out west. Every time Tom saw the jerk playing on national TV it made him want to puke.
‘Mary-Jo’s doin’ fine, don’t fret over her. You know we wouldn’t be without this little sweetheart,’ Ina murmured, ruffling Lulu’s soft curls.
‘Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.’
‘Life’s not always easy. You know that better than most.’ Her eyes softened. Tom hated sympathy more than anything and bit back a smart reply.
‘UncleT. Me want ice cream,’ Lulu yelled in his ear.
‘Tell you what, pumpkin, if you help me eat some of Mommy Ina’s chicken and dumplin’s we’ll get us a dab of ice cream after.’
‘Good luck.’ Ina laughed. ‘The little madamonly ate two bites of the hot dog I fixed her before you came.’
‘Fetch us a bowl and two spoons and we’ll do fine,’ Tom declared and swung his lunch partner back down on her feet. ‘Come on, sweetie, where we gonna sit?’
Lulu studied the room before pointing at a table over by the window and dragged on his hand, tugging him along behind her. Five minutes later with Lulu on his lapand digging into a bowl of hot, savoury chicken and dumplings Tom’s world settled back down.
‘Has she been a good girl?’ Ina came to see how they were doing.
‘Of course.’ Tom kissed the top of Lulu’s head. She beamed up at him and her innocent smile sucked the breath from his body. He’d expected to have a brood of kids of his own by now but things hadn’t worked out that way. ‘Howabout I take her up to mine for a couple of hours?’
‘Haven’t you got work to do?’
‘No more than you have. I wouldn’t get much more done today anyway.’ He didn’t explain and she didn’t ask.
‘It’s fine by me if she’ll go with you. If you’re lucky she might take a nap.’ Ina frowned. ‘Remember to ask if she needs to go potty. We’re doin’ well but she forgets sometimes.’
‘No problem. Remember I pretty much raised the twins.’ He’d spent half his teenage years with his younger sisters Rayna and Chloe attached to him like limpets so one three-year-old wasn’t a big deal. Tom tweaked Lulu’s ponytail. ‘Hey, pumpkin, you want to come and feed my ducks?’
‘Yep, but you promised we’d eat ice cream.’ She pouted.
He bent down to whisper in the littlegirl’s ear and caught his aunt’s eye over Lulu’s head. ‘Don’t tell Mommy Ina but I’ve got three flavours in my freezer.’ Her big, brown eyes widened and she planted a sticky kiss on his nose.
‘You’re stuck with her now,’ Aunt Ina declared with a throaty laugh.
That was fine with him. One woman could help take his mind off another.
