Shelley Galloway - Mommy in Training

Mrs. Wyzecki might have just said she was going to take up tap dancing, it sounded so strange. “You, not cooking?”

“Things have changed since you left, Matthew. I don’t have a need for macaroni casserole anymore.”

That had been a favorite dish. “That’s a shame.”

“As I said, things change.” The pointy chin that he knew so well inched upward. “It has been almost ten years, you know.”

He did know.

Her expression softened, and for a moment, Matt was sure they were both back in time. Back when he was a teenager with a chip on his shoulder the size of Rhode Island and had just moved into the Wyzeckis’ house.

She’d served chicken and dumplings for dinner Matt’s first night there. It had taken everything inside him to keep his mouth shut in between mouthfuls, he’d been so afraid he was going to say something stupid—like it had been a really long time since he’d had a home-cooked meal. Not since his mother had died when he’d been in fourth grade.

“Anyway,” Mrs. Wyzecki blurted, transporting him back to the present. “I figure between the two of us, we could get this old place cleaned up and emptied out in no time at all. Then, come September, it’ll be all yours.”

The change of ownership still felt strange. “No hurry.”

“Oh, I think there might be a bit of a hurry. You’ve got things to do. We both know that.”

“All I’ve got to do is open Store 35, and it’s right here in Crescent View. This move can take all the time it needs to. I usually have to live out of a suitcase for my job, so it’ll be nice to have a home base.”

Brightening, she patted his arm. “I guess the timing was meant to be, huh?”

“I guess so.”

The timing hadn’t been a coincidence. He’d fought long and hard to get Crescent View a supercenter—the town was dying ever since the GM factory had closed. People here needed SavNGo.

But just as important to Matt was the opportunity to come back as somebody. Though he’d been a star athlete, he’d also been the kid without any family at graduation. For years before that, he’d been the kid who didn’t have a mom to help out at class parties or watch his games.

He’d also been the kid with the tough, demanding father who gave affection according to how well he performed on the football and baseball fields.

Everyone had known that.

So it was going to be nice to walk around Crescent View without a shadow hanging over him. Without a hint of talk about who he was ever going to become. He wanted to be able to hold his head up high. It meant a lot to him. So much it was embarrassing.

Ever observant, Mrs. Wyzecki narrowed her eyes at his tone. “You okay, Matthew?”

Hearing his name from her lips in that know-it-all tone never failed to bring a smile. “I’m fine.”

“When you get settled here, I hope you’ll breathe some new life into this old place. Put on some new paint. Maybe add a screen porch.” She pointed out the back window to her late husband’s pride and joy: the in-ground pool. “All the plant life surrounding the pool is overgrown. The sun hardly hits the concrete around it anymore.”

“I can trim the trees.”

“It needs more than that. Matthew, what this place needs is a family.” She looked him over. “You ought to start thinking about that.”

Well, that brought him up short. He wasn’t in the family-planning way. At all. “Don’t get carried away.”

“Oh, one day you’ll find the right woman,” Mrs. Wy said with a smile. “You’ll fill up this house with love and laughter again and life will be right as rain. Right now, it’s too quiet. When the night drags on, my mind drifts to how things used to be.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “Kids running everywhere?” The Wyzeckis had always taken in foster kids.

“Yep. Kids and dogs and mountains of laundry. Sometimes I was sure that I had more schedules to keep track of than any big-city CEO.”

“You did a fine job managing it all.”

“You did okay, too, Matthew.”

Barely. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do.”

The way she looked at him made Matt almost believe she was right. Almost. To most of the town, he’d had everything—good looks, good grades, athletic ability. Only people who knew him well realized that inside he was a mess. Unsure of other people, eager to please, and more than a little resentful of things he didn’t have—like a family.

Sliding off the stool, she said, “Well, I’ll go show you to your room and let you get settled.”

They walked up the stairs, Matt following Mrs. Wy with two duffels in his hands. Instead of heading for his old bedroom, he followed her into the “special” guest room. He raised a brow. “I’m staying here?”

“You’re pretty darn special, Matthew.” She motioned to the window. “Plus, this room has a better view than your old one.”

Obligingly, Matt looked out the window. Everything appeared to be the same except that the trees were taller and the houses seemed smaller than he remembered.

Mrs. Wyzecki pointed to a cute little white house with black shutters, a covered front porch and a cherry-red front door. “You’ll never guess who lives there now.” After the slightest pause, she announced the answer, just like she was the new host on The Price is Right. “Minnie Clark!”

The name sounded familiar, though he couldn’t quite place her. “Who?”

“Minnie is Paige’s little sister.” Tapping on the window, she said, “Let’s see. When you were seniors, Minnie was a freshman.”

Paige. They’d been a couple, off and on for a good nine months right before graduation. Paige had been vivacious, pretty in that Barbie doll kind of way, and a cheerleader. He’d truly enjoyed dating her. Well, until he’d found her making out with one of the guys on his football team. That little encounter had managed to ruin two relationships and empty a bottle of tequila in one fell swoop.

Mrs. Wyzecki pointed toward the neatly arranged flower beds that surrounded the house like a bright ribbon. “That Minnie’s such a sweetie. She owns a card shop now, you know. It’s got a real catchy name, too. Carried Away Cards.”

Turning his attention from the neatly trimmed boxwoods, he eyed his favorite woman in the world. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“I don’t know. Thought you might enjoy reacquainting yourself with an old friend. Especially since she took in Paige’s child just last year.”

Matt had heard about Paige from his buddy Lane, one of the few people besides Mrs. Wy he’d kept in touch with. “Paige died in a car accident, right?”

“She did, though neither Minnie nor her parents talk much about it.” With a frown, she added, “From what I understand, Paige and her husband met up with a semi on the highway in Arizona. In their wills, they left Minnie full custody of Kimber.”

Still gazing at Minnie’s house, Wanda murmured, “It was surely the saddest day you ever saw when Minnie came home with that little girl. They both looked like they were barely holding each other up.”

“Are they doing okay now?”

“I suppose. Minnie’s not one to complain.” With a steady look in Matt’s direction, she added softly, “Never was.”

Now what was that supposed to mean?

“Do her parents live nearby?”

“Two towns over. Anson and JoAnn help when they can, but sometimes I think Minnie does better without them around. Anson and Jo can’t last more than a minute or two without mentioning Paige and dissolving into tears.”

“Which would be hard for Kimber.”

“Uh-huh. But that’s okay. Me and that little thing have become pretty close. I get a kick out of watching Minnie deal with Kimber. Oh, but she’s getting a run for her money!”