Читать книгу Forget Me Not - Marion Ekholm - Страница 11

CHAPTER TWO

CRAIG TRIED TO concentrate on his driving, but thoughts of his meeting with Trish continued to play havoc with his mind. He was over her, wasn’t he? Of course he was. Hadn’t he been dating Cyndi for months? Then why did seeing Trish drag up all those memories and send his hormones into overdrive?

She hadn’t checked those secret drawers in the secretary. If she had... He had to find some way to get back there and remove his note. He’d been so upset when he learned she was moving. No way would he want that note surfacing now.

Craig drove to the back of Moody’s Lumber Company and stopped at the small office. His father had first rented the place from Moody when Craig was an infant, and it had served them well over the years. The Cadmans’ business had grown thanks to his father’s well-known integrity, and Craig was determined to fill his father’s shoes. Not much chance of that with everyone still referring to him as Butchy, Craig Cadman’s kid. Bringing Trish’s house back to its original splendor might be exactly what he had to do to prove he was as good as his father.

When Craig stepped inside the office, his mother was looking over some papers with Maxwell Moody, the owner of the lumber company. Craig’s little brother, Noah, was sitting in her lap.

“How did it go, Butch?” she asked. “Trish give you the job?” Besides being a wife and mother, Rachel Cadman had served as secretary and journeyman to his father over the years. In many ways she’d provided the stability that kept the business from faltering when her husband became ill and died. Rachel also worked for Maxwell, who provided the crew that assisted Craig in his repairs. He looked up as Craig advanced. They acknowledged each other with a nod.

“Butchy,” Noah shouted. A moment later, he came around the desk and propelled himself into Craig’s arms.

Craig attempted to balance himself while the boy squirmed. “Noah. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” The boy placed a stranglehold around Craig’s neck.

“Teachers’ meetings.” Rachel came around the desk and took a reluctant Noah from Craig’s arms.

“I want to show him the hat I made for Thanksgiving,” Noah said, still reaching out to Craig.

“It’s at home. He’ll have to wait and see it when we celebrate with the big turkey dinner.” Noah pursed his lips and gave her his grumpy face. “How about you build a house? Your brother and I need to talk.” She placed the boy on the floor and watched him run to the box of wood pieces.

“I told her to call me Craig.” His mother raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips but didn’t add anything. “I want her to think of me as a grown-up, not the little kid she babysat.”

Rachel pushed several strands of light brown hair behind her ear. Sometime during the past six months, she’d started dyeing away the gray. “I know.” Rachel sighed. “It’s just...”

“I understand it’s hard, Mom, but if she calls...”

“When she calls. Trish hired you, didn’t she?”

Craig gave his mother a peck on her cheek. “I think we’re in once I finish some estimates. I’m sure the roof needs to be repaired. And the bathrooms are way out of date.” He took out his iPad and showed her the pictures he’d taken. Maxwell strained his neck so he could see, as well.

Noah came over with several pieces of two-by-four and tried to look at the pictures. Rachel held the iPad so he could see, too, and flipped slowly through the album. She stopped. “What’s this?”

Craig leaned over. “Oh, that’s her old secretary. She’s getting rid of everything and I thought... I’m going to offer her something, maybe deduct it from the cost of the repairs.”

He took the iPad from her then. He’d forgotten he’d snapped Trish’s picture and didn’t want his mother asking questions about it.

With a shrug, Rachel went back to her desk. “What we really need is money,” she said, rubbing the tips of her fingers and thumb together. “Antiques may be nice, but you can’t eat them.”

Craig nodded. “It’s just...”

“I know. You want something for the house you’ll build for you and Cyndi,” Maxwell said, assuming Craig’s relationship had gotten that far. Craig didn’t bother to correct him. There was no chance of that, but he knew most people seeing him and Cyndi together would come to the same conclusion.

Cyndi was an enigma. He never knew what to expect. One minute she’d throw herself at him, kissing him to distraction, and the next she’d be flirting with someone else.

They’d grown up just a few houses from each other and often played together with Trish and other kids in the neighborhood, usually at Trish’s grandmother’s. He thought of Cyndi as a butterfly that flitted here and there and didn’t offer any kind of permanence. He still enjoyed her company, but he wasn’t interested in marriage to Cyndi or anyone else.

She had come up to him at Moody’s, having returned to live with her parents after a divorce. They’d talked a bit and caught up, and then she asked him out. The most popular girl in high school, head cheerleader, prom queen, and she asked him. Back in his nerdy days, she’d forgotten he existed.

Maxwell stood and picked up his empty coffee cup. “Don’t go overboard with an offer on that antique. The woman probably inherited a good deal from her grandmother, and you don’t have to be overly generous.”

Craig nodded but didn’t comment. Price wasn’t the issue in this instance. “I’ll cover her roof with a tarp tomorrow and decide if we’ll need to replace it.”

“Good. The crew finished their last job early. It will be nice to get them working on something other than inventory and sweeping floors.” Once he went through the connecting door to his own office, Maxwell turned and raised his cup toward Craig. “Sorry, kid, but you’ll always be Butch to me, just like Craig will always be your father.” He sighed and shook his head. “But...your father would probably approve if you took his name, so I’ll give it a try.”

Noah came over with his selection of wood. “Wanna help me build something?”

Craig bent down to his level and brushed his brother’s hair with his fingers, something he remembered their father doing. Unfortunately, Noah probably didn’t even remember their father. An unplanned child so late in life had come with joy, but also unexpected problems when his father died. Craig stood and took the piece of wood, examining it closely. “Any other pieces this size? We’ll need several.”

Noah did an about-face and ran back to the large crate containing all the scraps. He looked over his shoulder, a smile lighting his face. “Yep, we got enough to build a house.”

And so it began. Every day he spent time with Noah, teaching his brother the way his father had taught him—how to hold the hammer, center the nail and hit it without destroying his fingers. But Craig couldn’t help feeling that their father should be doing this. And maybe his dad’s time wouldn’t have been cut short if he hadn’t had to deal with all the ramifications of a new child.

* * *

“HI, MOM,” TRISH said when she finally reached her mother. “How are you enjoying your trip?” Her parents had bought an RV and were traveling the Southwest after her father’s early retirement.

“Unbelievable. We just left the Grand Canyon, and we’re heading south to some warmer weather. Actually had a little snow. How’s it back East?”

“Indian summer. Everything’s settled with Gram’s house, so I moved in to start fixing it. You sure you don’t want anything? Furniture? Antiques?”

“Absolutely not. We were delighted that she left everything to you, and we don’t want anything to tie us down. Right, Tom?” A deeper voice made an acknowledgment before her mother continued. “Your father and I plan to see the world before old age robs us of our faculties.”

Trish chuckled. “My goodness, Mom, you haven’t even cashed your first Social Security check yet.”

After a long pause, her mother asked, “So, what’s new with Harrison? Has he seen Gram’s house?” Harrison was one of the few men she had dated who managed to impress them.

“No. I’ve decided to sell it.”

Her mother took a quick, deep breath. “Really? But I thought...”

“We’re going to use the money for something closer to our work in the city.”

“And can he come up with an amount equal to what you’ll be contributing?”

Trish resented her mother’s tone. “Of course. He owns a condo that he plans to sell, and it more than equals what Gram left me.”

“I only meant that your grandmother gave everything to you because she thought you would appreciate it and want to live there.”

With a sigh, Trish said, “I do appreciate it. And like you and Dad, I need to live my life the way I see fit. I never gave you any flak over you selling everything and getting that trailer.”

“It’s an RV, dear, a recreational vehicle, and you’d better not give us any flak, or we won’t drive up to your wedding. When is it, anyway?”

Since she and Harrison hadn’t settled on a specific date, Trish hesitated. “Sometime after the house is sold.”

“Well, make sure your plans are for the spring. Your father and I don’t like to travel in the snow.”

Trish chuckled. “I’ll be sure to take that into consideration.”

For a moment, her mother didn’t respond. “I suppose you connected with Butch again.”

She sounded almost reluctant to mention him. At one point, Trish’s parents and Craig’s had been friends, but for reasons Trish had never understood, they weren’t speaking to each other by the time her family moved to Virginia. “He goes by Craig now. His father passed away a few years ago, and he’s taken over the business. I asked him for some estimates on the repairs that need to be done here.”

“And that’s it? He’s not still madly in love with you?”

“He has a girlfriend, Mom.” For a moment, Trish wondered why that thought filled her with an unexpected sadness. She shook off her reaction. Silly. They’d both moved past childish crushes and had new directions in their lives.

* * *

SETTLING ON ONE of the kitchen chairs, Trish reached for a cup of coffee. She’d risen to the ringing of her cell phone before seven. The birds hadn’t even been up.

She pulled her blue bathrobe tighter. Maybe she should have Craig check the heating system. The temperatures outside were close to freezing despite the sunny skies, and the inside didn’t seem much warmer.

“This is your inheritance?” Harrison had asked, referring to the picture Trish had sent on her iPhone.

“Yes!” She hoped the joy in her voice made an impression over the phone. “I can’t wait till you get here to see it. So many memories. I’ve started cleaning and hope to have it livable while I’m here.”

“You still planning to take off from work for a whole month? Won’t that jeopardize your job?” Had Harrison started the day on a sour note? He sounded critical. This was not exactly the bright, sunny good cheer she wanted in the morning.

Trish hadn’t taken a vacation in over three years. She deserved one, and it would give her a little rest before returning to her new promotion. Right now she and Harrison worked in the same department; however, once she received her promotion they’d be working down the hall from each other. And once they married, and lived in the same house, they’d be able to commute together. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be from her grandmother’s house.

Now, with matrimony on the horizon, she was considering other career moves. Harrison made enough to support them both, so eventually she could be a stay-at-home mom and take care of the many children they’d talked about having. Just thinking about it made her smile.

“I needed this chance to get away.” Not about to slog through her decision again, Trish asked, “When can you come see the place?”

Trish had wanted moral support as well as some physical labor from Harrison to get her grandmother’s house spruced up. They’d even talked about spending their vacations together to get as much completed as possible before the eventual sale.

“I’m so rushed, flying in and out to different locations in California. I can come on Sunday.” He provided a date and Trish looked it up on a calendar.

“You’ll be gone the week of Thanksgiving?”

“Right. The company wants all this training completed before Christmas. You know how people go crazy with credit-card problems before and after the holidays.” Her plan to surprise him with a turkey and all the trimmings slowly slipped away.

But no one should skip a proper Thanksgiving, and if it meant taking time away from work on her grandmother’s house, so be it. “How about we celebrate on that Sunday when you’re here? I make a mean turkey.”

“Don’t.” He hesitated. “I thought you wanted to get painting done...finish some projects on the house. I’m not doing them all by myself while you’re busy cooking.”

Trish considered this a moment and tried to control her voice, something she had plenty of practice at in her customer-service job. Keep your voice pleasant. Don’t antagonize the patrons even more. They were already stressed-out calling about problems with their credit cards.

She took a calming breath. “So you’ll be here only that one day?”

“Right.” He waited a moment longer before adding, “Sweetheart, I wasn’t going to mention it, hoped to keep it a surprise, but... I can’t stay any longer because I put in for a promotion. I’ve got reservations in Los Angeles and San Francisco for interviews. How would you like to settle in California? It’s a possibility if the interviews go well.”

Trish hesitated. California. She’d always lived on the East Coast, never even seen the West Coast state. But that certainly had exciting possibilities. For him. Why hadn’t he mentioned it before? “Let’s talk about it when you arrive.”