As it turned out, Donny Joe looked mighty fine in an apron, and he wielded a mean broom. Harry showed off his muscles in an impressive display, by practically carrying the daybed down from the attic one-handed. Dinah ran from room to room scrubbing and dusting like a mad woman. Lincoln ate another doughnut and cheered their efforts.
Marla Jean supervised from the couch, feeling guilty that she couldn’t help and feeling more and more anxious at the thought of her parents’ return home. Part of her, the fragile part that was still healing from having her life so rudely rearranged by Bradley, wanted to curl up and let them take care of her like she was still their baby girl. And now with her broken toes, nobody could blame her for letting them coddle her. But the biggest part of her felt like she’d be taking a big step backward if she didn’t try to maintain some degree of independence.
Earlier that morning, Hoot and Dooley stopped by with casseroles from their wives and told her they’d put a “Gone Fishing” sign on the barber shop. Then they’d called and rescheduled her appointments for the coming week. Most of the business was walk-in so there wasn’t much to rearrange.
Marla Jean still hoped she’d get a walking boot and be back to work in a couple of days, but now with her father riding to the rescue, it was a relief not to worry about letting down her customers.
Her clothes had been moved back to her old bedroom, the daybed set up, and her art supplies put away in the closet. It looked scarily like her childhood bedroom, minus the stuffed animals.
Donny Joe and Harry both pitched in like they were glad to do it, but they also seemed to be trying to outdo each other in an effort to gain Marla Jean’s attention.
“I thought you could use some iced tea, Marla Jean.” Harry walked in with a tall glass with lemon and a sprig of mint. She wondered where the hell he found the mint.
“Thank you, Harry, but you’re the one doing all the work.”
“I like being useful. You just tell me what you need, and I’m ready to pitch in.”
Donny Joe bounced into the room with a bag of frozen peas. “Here ya go, sugar. That bag of ice is getting all melty. In my opinion, frozen vegetables are the way to go, and I find generally that baby green peas work the best.”
“You have a lot of experience with this kind of thing?” she asked.
“I’ve twisted my ankle playing soccer more times than I can remember, and the only reason I’m still walking today, is baby peas.” He’d been a soccer star in high school and still played in an adult league.
She let him arrange the bag on her ankle without further protest. “Well, then, it sounds like you’re the authority.”
Harry looked miffed and decided to throw in his two cents. “Well, in football, we’re no stranger to injuries. The best thing would be to plunge your foot into a bucket of ice water and leave it in as long as you can stand it.”
Marla Jean smiled weakly. “Maybe I’ll try that later, Harry.”
Encouraged, he continued, “That’s really the only way to get the cold down into the swollen joints. And your pillows for your foot should be higher than your heart.” He grabbed some cushions from other chairs and started reshaping the mound supporting her foot.
Donny Joe was trying to get the peas to stay balanced on her foot at the same time. “Thanks, really guys, my foot’s fine now.” Since they’d been so nice she resisted the urge to swat them away like gnats, but their fussing was about to make her scream.
Dinah came into the room and collapsed on a chair. “That’s it. We’re done. I’m not lifting another finger.”
The house sparkled by anyone’s standards. Bitsy would be hard-pressed to find anything lacking. After the men made a pizza and beer run, everyone sat around the living room, tired but pleased with a job well done.
Harry scooted his chair closer to Marla Jean. “Would you like some more parmesan cheese on your pizza?”
“No thank you, Harry. I’m fine.”
Donny took a swig of beer and asked, “So, where’s Jake? I’m surprised he’s not here helping.”
The question hung in the air unanswered, like a low-lying cloud of smelly bug spray, while Marla Jean finished chewing her pizza. After she swallowed, she said, “I believe he had plans with his mother today.”
“Why are you asking about Jake, Donny Joe?” Lincoln asked casually.
“No reason. It’s just lately, every time I’m around Marla Jean he seems to turn up like a bad penny.”
Lincoln scowled and began tapping a finger on the end table. “Is that a fact?”
“He’s like her own personal bodyguard,” Donny Joe continued. “At the diner this morning, they said he scooped you up just like that Officer and a Gentleman movie and whisked you off to the hospital. I thought Nelda Potts and Bonnie May Thornton were gonna faint dead away, they thought it was so romantic. You should have heard them squealing and carrying on.”
“Romantic?” Marla Jean tried to brush it off. “That’s plain silly.” She could see all this talk about Jake wasn’t sitting right with Lincoln, and Harry didn’t look any too pleased at Donny Joe’s story, either. “He was nice enough to give me a ride to the hospital. That’s all.”
Donny Joe turned to Harry. “Wasn’t she on a date with you, Harry? If it had been me, I sure as hell wouldn’t let another man make off with my woman.”
“I’m nobody’s woman, and Harry was celebrating a big victory with his team. He offered to take me, but I didn’t want to ruin the night for him or the kids.”
Harry scooted his chair even closer to Marla Jean until he was practically sitting in her lap. “Donny Joe’s right. I should have taken you. I felt bad about it all night long.”
“Well, you shouldn’t.” She looked at her big brother and said pointedly, “I was in good hands.”
Lincoln made growling noises, and Dinah jumped up from her chair. “Heavens! Look at the time. We should all get out of here, and let Marla Jean get some rest. It’s been a long day, and I know I’m tired.”
Even though Marla Jean had been resting all day, she was tired, too. Watching Harry and Donny Joe try to outdo each other had worn her out.
Donny Joe squatted down beside her and used his bedroom voice. “Night, Marla Jean. And if you need anything at all just call, sugar.”
“Thanks for all your help, Donny Joe. I’ll make it up to you when I’m back on my feet.”
His eyes glinted before he leaned over and whispered, “I can think of ways you can repay me that don’t require standing up.”
She laughed and gave him a small push. “Good night, Donny Joe.”
Harry stood by impatiently waiting for Donny Joe to clear out so he could say his good-byes. “I know you’ll be busy with your parents at home, but I’d like to stop by if that’s okay.”
“I would like that, Harry. And don’t forget, I still owe you a home-cooked dinner.”
“I’ll hold you to it, but there’s no rush. Just worry about getting better first.” He looked at the floor and then looked at her. With a quick glance at the others in the room, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
Marla smiled at him sweetly. “Good night, Harry, and thanks again.”
Pleased by his bravado, he smiled, too. “Good night, Marla Jean.”
Lincoln herded everyone to the front door, then stopped and asked, “Are you going to be all right by yourself, sis?”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks to you, I’ve got my crutches to get around, remember?”
Dinah dragged her husband to the front door. “Come on, Lincoln. We’re only five minutes away if she needs us.”
“Okay, we’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“Thanks again, everybody.” She watched them file out, leaving her alone on the couch.
Jake pulled into his mother’s driveway. All the way to her house he listened to her bask in the pre-wedding glow of Libby’s upcoming marriage.
“You think she’s making a mistake, don’t you?” his mother finally asked as she reached for the car door handle.
“I don’t know, but you certainly did a one-eighty on this issue.” Jake turned off the engine.
“He seems to really love her, Jake. Watch his face when she walks in the room. He lights up.”
“That didn’t keep you from being convinced he’d used her for a punching bag.” His mother’s logic was making his head swim.
“I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I’m sorry, but while we’re on the subject, are you going to tell me how you got your black eye, mister?”
“Let’s just say a lot of people were walking into doors last night.”
“Okay, I learned my lesson. It’s none of my business.” She put a hand on his arm to stop him when he started to get out of the car. “You don’t need to walk me to the door. Just wait until I get inside. Good night, sweetie.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Good night, Ma.” He watched until she was inside and backed out of the driveway, heading for his parents’ old house. The lights were all on at Marla Jean’s when he drove by and assorted cars lined the street. He recognized Lincoln’s Toyota and Donny Joe’s truck. He pulled into his driveway and shut off the headlights just as Lincoln, Dinah, Donny Joe, and Harry piled out onto the front porch. They shouted good-byes to each other, got in their cars, and drove away.
From the looks of it, there had been a party, and he hadn’t been invited. He sat there wondering how long it would take Linc to cool down. He also wondered if now would be a good time to go talk to Marla Jean about the night before. For the first time in his life he wasn’t sure of what he should say. Morning-after awkwardness had never been something he suffered from.
The women he slept with knew the score. There were no professions of love or promises to be broken. But where women were concerned, Marla Jean didn’t fit into any normal category. She scared him, made him question the rules of the game, and that was a new feeling for him. He needed time to sort things out.
Besides, if she asked him any questions about the dinner at Bradley’s he wouldn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to be the one to tell her about Bradley and Aunt Libby’s wedding news, either. She should probably hear that big announcement from someone else.
He got out of the car and trudged up his front steps. One thing was almost certain. If Lincoln hadn’t walked in when he did, he would have made love to Marla Jean last night. And wouldn’t that have complicated matters. He supposed he should consider it a narrow escape. He ignored the voice in his head that wondered if he’d missed a life-altering opportunity instead.
Right now he just wanted to take a shower and hit the sack. He’d started scraping the paint off the back of the house that morning, and if he worked all weekend, he could get most of the job done. But that meant an early start the next day.
“Hey, Jake.” He’d just stepped onto the porch when a voice floated to him out of the dark.
He jumped out of his skin and turned toward the voice. Barely illuminated by the street light, he saw his half brother Theo sitting on the wooden porch glider. “Son of a bitch, Theo, you scared the bejesus out of me.”
Theo laughed and got up, walking over to meet him. “It’s good to see you, too, big brother.”
“Aw hell, I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be waiting for me in the dark. Get over here.”
It shouldn’t have come as a total shock to find his half brother waiting for him on the porch. In the last letter he’d gotten, he’d mentioned coming to visit, but in the last few years he’d threatened to visit before and never gotten around to it.
His relationship with Theo had been nonexistent until after their father’s death, and then Jake’s sense of responsibility kicked in, making him take the young man under his wing. Theo had been in the Navy up until a few months ago, but his mother lived in Derbyville, and Jake knew he’d be back to see her eventually.
Theo wrapped Jake up in a bear hug. “I thought I’d see if that job offer was still open.”
Jake put his hands on his hips. “I could use the help, but it involves long hours and not much pay. When did you get here?”
“I got back about a week ago. I spent some time with my mom.”
“And how is she?”
“She’s doing okay. Working on husband number three these days. How’s your mother doing?”
“She’s great. I moved her to a condo on the lake.”
“I want to see her while I’m here.” Over time Theo and Jake’s mother had formed an odd alliance after their father died.
“She’d like that. But in the meantime I could use your help. It’s high time I sold this place, but it needs a lot of work.”
Theo looked at the house and said, “Just tell me what to do.”
“Don’t worry, I will, but not tonight. We’ve got some catching up to do. Do you want a beer?”
Theo grinned and followed him inside. “I thought you’d never ask. Jake, there is one more thing.”
“What’s that?” Jake looked back at his brother. He wasn’t smiling any longer.
“This time, before I leave, you’re going to tell me the truth about what happened between you and Dad even if I have to beat it out of you.”