Finding Me (27 page)

Shane walked over to the play area. He found a little fenced-off corner with a very small slide, a box of stuffed animals, and a kitchen play set, complete with plastic dishes and cookware. He turned back toward the register and saw Kelli smiling at the next customer in line, who was also making some sort of comment about how good the place looked.

After the woman left, he walked over to the front. “Who authorized you to spend the money to do all this?”

“Last I remember, I don’t need to be authorized to spend my own money.”

“By ‘your own money,’ you mean money you took from the store’s earnings.”

“I think I know the difference between my own money and the store’s money, Shane. I said I spent my own money, and that’s what I meant.”

“Are you telling me you paid for this yourself?”

“It wasn’t that much, and yes, that is what I’m saying. Your father has been more than generous to me. I thought I could return the favor.”

“Does he know about all this?”

“No, I was planning for it to be a surprise.”

“What am I supposed to tell him, then?”

“You can tell him that everything here is going just fine. I know he was worried about the motor oil that was on back order, but I talked to them yesterday and it has shipped. You can tell him that.”

Shane looked around again, then back at her. “I have to say,
I’m amazed at what you’ve done with the place. You must have Keith putting in a ton of overtime.”

“Not at all. He’s been working extra, of course, like your father asked him to. But he comes in just after lunch and stays until around five. I believe that’s exactly your father’s plan, so you can stop insinuating that I’m busting the budget on unauthorized overtime. I’m not.”

“If Keith isn’t working extra, who is doing all this?”

“The good fairies.” She rolled her eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got customers to take care of.”

Shane looked behind him, and there were indeed a couple of teenage boys standing there with sodas in their hands. Shane headed for the door, but not before he heard one of the boys say, “Woo-wee. Kenmore’s fixed this place up in more ways than one. What ya doing after work tonight, pretty woman?” The kid was wearing a John Deere cap over his long stringy hair.

Kelli laughed and made some reply that had both of the boys laughing. They took their change and made their way toward the door. Shane slipped outside and waited for them. “You shouldn’t speak like that to a lady.”

“Speak like what? Last I heard, most girls like to be told they’re pretty.”

“She’s not a
girl
, she’s a lady, and you should show more respect. Didn’t your parents teach you anything about manners?”

“I didn’t say nothing that was disrespectful, nothing I wouldn’t say to my own sister.” He glanced toward his friend and snickered. “Except I wouldn’t ask my own sister out.”

“Yeah, well, that makes two of us.” They both laughed.

The green-cap kid took a sip of his soda. “Relax. She didn’t get worked up over it, so I don’t know why you are. Maybe it’s just ’cause you haven’t had the nerve to tell her that yourself, huh?”

“Bet you’re right,” his friend said.

“You like her, don’t you? But you’re too much of a coward to say it.” The boys did a fist bump and laughed all the way out to the beat-up red pickup they climbed into. As they pulled away, the one in the cap leaned out the window. “Better hurry up and tell her, ’cause we’ll be back tomorrow.” The sound of laughter followed behind the truck as it pulled away.

Complete idiots, that’s what they were.

32

O
n Friday afternoon, Kenmore settled into his easy chair. “It feels good to be home.” He nodded at his son. “Real good. Didn’t know how much I liked this place until I wasn’t here for a while.”

“It’s nice to have you back, Pop. Things weren’t the same without you.” Shane set the phone and the TV remote on the table beside him, then made sure his cane was in easy reach. “Okay, I think you’ve got everything you need. I have to show a house, but you have my cell number, so call me if you need anything.”

“I’m perfectly capable of getting around myself and getting things done—as I kept telling them in the rehab center for the last week.”

“Yes, you told them plenty, I dare say.” Shane laughed. “You’ve always been a bit of a curmudgeon, Pop, but I’d say you’ve taken that up a few levels to downright grumpy during your recovery.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Refusing pain meds, demanding to be released before the doctor and physical therapist thought you were ready, complaining about the food—which was actually pretty good, by the way.
All I’m saying is, now that you’re back home, I hope you’ll be a little less cranky.”

When had his son gotten so insolent? “Hmph. Don’t count on it. Not until I get back to work on Monday.”

“Monday after next, you mean.”

“Says who? I’m home now. They can’t tell me what I can and can’t do.” Kenmore had every intention of being back in his store on Monday morning.

“The doctor told you to take it slow for the next week, and I can promise you that I’m not going to be driving you to work during that time.”

“I’ll drive myself. Don’t need your permission.”

“You don’t need my permission, maybe, but you do need the keys. Unfortunately for you, I have taken the liberty of putting them away.”

“I’m going to drive if I darn well feel like driving. They just don’t want me driving while I’m under the influence of painkillers, which I am not. Haven’t taken anything but Motrin since yesterday.”

“Dad, you know that if you get in a wreck while you are under your doctor’s direct orders not to drive, you could be sued for anything and everything, including your precious store. So it’s your choice. Go back to the store week after next, or risk losing your store forever and always. And your retirement fund, too. How about that?”

Kenmore waved his hand dismissively “Ridiculous to hold a man hostage. It sure is.” He picked up the TV remote and started channel-surfing. He’d figure out a way to get to work this week, one way or another.

Even though she rarely slept in, after a full week of extreme overtime, everything inside of Kelli rebelled at getting up on
Sunday and getting ready for church. Still, it was her best time to see Alison, so even though it was her one day off, she got up, showered, and dressed in nice clothes. Her cell phone rang, and she saw Beth’s name on the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Do you want to come spend the day with us? Rand is planning to stay home, and we’re just going to lay low—especially me—but we’d love to have you over if you’d rather not be alone today.”

“I’m okay, but does Rand want to go on to church? I was just thinking I was too tired to manage it, but I’m happy to come sit with you while he goes.”

“I told him he should go, but ever since we started dating, he’s always stayed with me on Father’s Day.”

Father’s Day?

It was as if the air had been knocked from her body. Kelli couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t speak, she simply stood there and felt the pain. Denice was right: this was something she was not equipped to deal with. “Oh,” she said to Beth, “I’ve been so busy, I had completely forgotten that was today.”

“I’m sorry I reminded you, then. I was afraid you were alone and upset, and I didn’t want that. Come hang out with us. Mom will be over after church, and Rand is going to make his one and only specialty: grilled burgers.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Father’s Day.

Without Daddy.

With the mother and sister she’d never known.

Can my life get any more mixed up?

Rand met her at the door. “Hey, I did want to warn you about something.”

“What?”

“It’s always been Beth’s sort of Father’s Day tradition that after we eat lunch, she gets her mother to tell a bunch of stories about
her father. We all know what you’ve just been through, so if this will upset you, then please don’t feel obligated to stick around and listen.”

“Thanks. I think I’ll be all right, but I will leave if I need to.” Kelli knew she wouldn’t leave even one second early. How could she resist this chance to hear stories about what Daddy had been like in his former life?

“One more thing.” He looked over his shoulder, although they both knew Beth was back in the bedroom and out of earshot. “Beth has decided that it would be good for you to talk about your father, too. She thinks it would be helpful for you. Just catch my eye if you need me to get her off your case.”

“Thanks, Rand.” Even as she said the words, Kelli struggled to remember what she had—and what she hadn’t—told Beth about her father. She couldn’t exactly remember.

Turns out things really can get more mixed up than they already are.

Alison tried to watch Kelli’s reaction as she started on the obligatory story about how David once shimmied up a tree to save a frightened Beth, who had made it about eight feet up, panicked, and grabbed hold of the tree trunk, crying. After soothing talk, lots of instructions, and simply waiting her out for over an hour, David had decided he had no choice but to mount a rescue. Problem was, he’d just had surgery on his shoulder, had his arm in a sling, and was already in pain.

“But he managed to climb up one-handed. By the time I arrived home a couple of hours later, you were happily playing with a doll in the living room, and David was practically passed out on the couch. He’d already met his surgeon at the hospital, gotten a shot for pain, and scheduled the second surgery
that would be necessary to repair the damage done during the rescue.”

As usual, Beth shook her head and wiped away tears at this story. To her, the story was all about her perfect and self-sacrificing father. And truly, that was what the story was about, but if Beth had been old enough to remember how mad he was—at Beth for getting stuck, and particularly at Alison for leaving him home while she’d gone to the women’s ministries meeting—well, it was just as well Beth didn’t remember any of that.

Kelli nodded a few times during the story. She didn’t seem particularly upset, but it was as if the story made sense to her in some way. Maybe her father had been the same way? “How about you, Kelli? Do you want to tell us something about your father?”

Her face went pale as she looked at them. “Uh . . . no. No, thanks.” She looked toward Beth. “You know who I would like to hear a story about though, if you don’t mind, is your brother. I know he lives in Kentucky and is married with a couple of kids. But why don’t you tell me a story about the two of you?”

Alison and Rand shared a glance across the room, both grateful for Kelli’s change of subject. Beth always became so depressed on Father’s Day, but once she started in on the stories about Max’s and her childhood, she had everyone rolling with laughter. She told story after story, and Kelli kept prodding her with more questions.

By the end of the evening, Alison walked out with Kelli. She turned to her. “Thank you. It was nice of you to keep Beth distracted by questions about her brother today. What made you think to do that? It was brilliant.”

Kelli shrugged. “I’m interested, I guess.” She paused for just a second. “Being an only child, I’ve always wondered what it would have been like to have siblings. This gave me a glimpse. It sounds . . . wonderful.” She looked almost teary as she said
that. Alison wondered what kind of hurts the poor girl was harboring.