Linda Goodnight - Sugarplum Homecoming

He let himself inside his sister’s house which always smelled of candle scents and looked freshly polished. Every piece of furniture, every flower arrangement and picture was pristine. He marveled at how well Jenny managed with his kids and hers, including a son with health challenges, and two cocker spaniels.

“Anybody home?” he called, his usual announcement, and one that started the dogs barking.

“Daddy!” a joyful voice squealed. In seconds, Nathan came racing into the living room, a red superhero cape flying out behind him. He leaped into Davis’s arms and wrapped his legs around his daddy’s waist.

The weary workday melted away in the warm, exuberant little-boy hug from his son. His baby. The child he’d made with a woman he loved. He thanked God every day for his kids. They’d kept him sane when he’d wanted to curl into a ball and let go of life.

Though sometimes he still ached from the lonely spot Cheryl had left behind, he was a content man. Breathing deep, he held his son close to his chest, not caring that he was dirty and stained with grout. Life didn’t get any better than the love of his sweet little boy and girl.

Jenny came around the dining room divider, smiling as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. Blonde and almost as tall as he, his sister had continued to gain weight after twin boys were born seven years ago. He thought she looked okay, but Jenny worried about being fat and was on some kind of crazy diet more often than not.

“You look bushed,” she said. “Want to sit a while and have some tea?”

Davis shook his head. “Thanks, but no. Laundry to do tonight.”

“You got a minute then? I want to ask you about something.”

“Sure.” He shifted, repositioning Nathan onto his hip. The boy’s legs were starting to dangle like octopus tentacles, a sign he would soon be too big to leap into his daddy’s embrace. Davis wasn’t ready for that. “What’s up?”

“The kids told me Lana Ross has moved back into her family’s old house.”

“True.”

“They also said you’d been over to see her. Twice.” He could see his sister was not happy about his friendliness. Never one to keep her opinions to herself, if Jenny had something to say, she’d say it. Sometimes that propensity was a good thing, but not always.

“True, as well. Being neighborly.” He unwound Nathan’s arms and let him slide to the floor. “Go get your sister, bud. We gotta go.”

Jenny waited until Nathan skidded around the corner, spaniels in nail-tapping pursuit, before continuing. “Is Lana planning to stay in Whisper Falls?”

“I didn’t ask her, but she’s remodeling the Ross house. I figure that’s a sign she’s here for good.”

“You’re not going to get involved with that, are you?”

Her tone raised bristles on the back of his neck. “I might. Why?”

“Davis, don’t you remember Lana Ross at all? What she was? How she was always in trouble, always doing the worst possible things? Surely, you aren’t going to let your children associate with a woman like her.”

Davis sucked in a chest full of air and tilted back on his boot heels. Jenny was protective of him and his kids, especially since Cheryl’s death. Besides, hadn’t he thought the same things about Lana?

“Come on, Jen, that was years ago. Teenagers do crazy things but they grow up.”

“Maybe. But where has she been all this time? What has she been doing? Why would she come back here where everyone knows about her?”

“Maybe because she owns a house here?” he said with a hint of sarcasm, hands up and out. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t risk your children to find out. Stay clear of her, Davis. She’s a bad influence.”

“Sis. Come on. Chill out. This is not like you. Lana is new in town. Even though she was born here, she’s been gone for years. She’s in my neighborhood.”

“Which does not mean you have to associate with her. You have plenty of friends.” She put a hand on his arm in a gesture of concern, her eyes worried. “Keep a nice, safe distance. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Too late for that. Nathan and Paige like her and her little girl. They’re already begging to have Sydney to the house for a sleepover.”

Jenny’s head dropped backward as she gave an exasperated sigh. “That’s another thing. Lana has a child. I’ll bet you anything she isn’t married. If she’s like she was in high school, she probably doesn’t even know who the father is.”

Davis’s jaw tightened. He loved his sister and appreciated her help, but she was taking this too far. In a deceptively quiet voice, he said, “Passing judgment, are we, sis?”

Jenny’s chin went up. Her nostrils flared below pale eyes that arced fire. “Not in the least. Protecting our loved ones from harm is a Christian responsibility. Remember what Dad used to tell us about running with the wrong people? The Bible even warns against ‘casting your pearls before swine.’”

“Wait a minute. Stop right there.” She was starting to get under his skin. “Are you calling Lana a swine? You don’t even know her.”

“But I remember her. We had more than one run-in during high school.” Jenny twisted the towel as if wringing Lana’s neck. Or his. “I love your kids. I don’t want them exposed to alcohol and drugs and Lord only knows what else. Do you want them to have a reputation like those awful Ross sisters?”

“They’re in grade school, for crying out loud! Come on, Jenny. You’re being ridiculous.”

And she was making him uncomfortable. Hadn’t he struggled with these same, ugly thoughts yesterday? Yet, Lana and her little girl gave no sign of being anything but decent people. Even if they weren’t, didn’t God expect him to show grace and charity?

But he wanted to protect his children, too.

While brother and sister stared each other down and Davis wrestled with his thoughts, Nathan and Paige entered the room, followed by seven-year-old twins Charlie and Kent. The boys were apple-cheeked replicas of their dark-skinned father, though Charlie was smaller and wore a pallor lacking in his healthier sibling. Born with a heart defect, he’d had surgery soon after birth but he still took medication and had never been quite as vigorous as Kent. His condition was the main reason Jenny homeschooled. A valve replacement was in his near future, a fact that stressed the whole family, especially Jenny. Because of Charlie’s uncertain health, Davis felt for his sister, but she could make him crazy, too.

“Ready?” Davis asked, grateful for the interruption to the contentious conversation. He was a peacemaker. Arguments made him miserable. Besides, his sister had enough on her plate. He didn’t want to add to her worries by fighting over a woman neither of them knew that well.

But he was also a grown man, capable of making his own decisions and caring for his children. He didn’t need his baby sister’s dire warnings.

“Can we go see Sydney when we get home?” Nathan asked, presenting a cupcake smashed inside a Ziploc bag. “I saved her half of my cupcake.”

Jenny hissed, her glare burning a hole into her brother. “See?”

Davis ignored her. “That was really thoughtful of you, son.”

“Paige saved all of hers for Lana.” Nathan nodded sagely. “She has brown hair.”

“My cupcake! I almost forgot.” Paige clapped a hand against her forehead. “Wait a minute, Daddy, while I go get it.”

His little girl hurried out of the room.

Jenny rolled her eyes at Davis. “Nathan has mentioned brown hair several times today. He even drew a picture of a woman with brown hair. What is that about?”

Davis shrugged. “Couldn’t say. Why don’t you ask him?” He dropped a hand on his son’s shoulder. “What’s the deal, Lucille? Why are you suddenly obsessed with brown hair?”