Holly Jacobs - Homecoming Day

She wanted to say no. As a matter of fact, she wanted to say hell no. But instead, she found herself saying, “Fine.” She was hopeless at directions. For her birthday last year, Jay had given her a GPS. She’d laughed, telling him she wasn’t planning any out-of-town trips.

He’d responded he knew that. The GPS was for navigating around town.

And for the first time since he died, she remembered Jay and had an urge to laugh rather than cry.

She glanced at the quiet police officer next to her, and though he wore the same uniform, there weren’t any other similarities to Jay.

Jay had worn his hair on the shaggy side of long, compared to Seth’s military cut. And Jay had been quick to laugh. She hadn’t seen any signs of quick laughter in Seth Keller. He’d smiled, but even then, the expression hadn’t quite reached his eyes. He wasn’t grim. More…sad. She wondered what had happened to make him that way.

They walked in silence to the parking lot and he led her to a huge truck. It was blue and had one of the cabs that had a backseat with a second door. It also sat about a mile off the ground.

Somehow Laura needed to get her beached-whale self up and into it. She was pretty sure it was going to take a forklift. She was about to ask if maybe Seth would consider taking her car when he said, “Would you be offended if I offered you a hand?”

“I’m practical enough to admit I do need a hand.”

He got her settled in the giant truck. She gave him JT’s address and they drove in silence toward the nice section of town. Seth stopped in front of a neat, two-story brick house.

Laura slid out of the truck with more ease than she’d gotten in. She clutched the manila folder she’d put JT’s homework sheets in, pulled her coat tight against her chest and waddled to the door with Seth at her side. He let her take the lead. She appreciated that.

She knocked and they waited. When no one answered, she rang the doorbell and called out, “JT, it’s Ms. Watson, and I’m not going anywhere until you open the door. And it’s very cold out here. I’m so huge that my coat doesn’t want to button, so the baby bump sort of sticks out. I bet the baby’s as cold as I am.”

Yeah, using the baby was low, but if it got results, she wasn’t above it.

Seconds later the door opened and JT stood there scrubbed bare of any makeup and wearing a pair of holey jeans and a pink, oversize sweatshirt that made her look so much younger than she did in school.

“Ms. Watson?”

Laura held out the envelope. “I brought your homework. Can we come in for a moment?”

JT jerked her finger in Seth’s direction. “What’s he doing here?”

“Lieutenant Keller stopped by and offered to bring me. He seems to think my absurd size makes it hard for me to reach the steering wheel and, therefore, I shouldn’t drive any more than I have to.”

“You are kinda big.” JT’s grin said she was teasing. “I mean, you’re right, if you did up your coat, a button would probably pop off and become a lethal weapon.”

Seth glommed on to JT’s mood and said, “Now, when my sister-in-law Eli was pregnant, I thought she was big, but then I met Laura here. She gives the phrase big-as-a-house a whole new meaning.”

“Hey, you two.” Laura waved her hand and tried to look outraged. “I’m standing right here in my tight, unbuttoned coat.”

JT grinned. “Yeah, big as a McMansion for sure.”

Seth laughed. “I was thinking castle, but your definition works, too.”

Laura waved both hands. “Hey, still here.”

“Oh, we know, Ms. Watson. There’s no way anyone could miss that.” JT snorted with glee.

“Gee, try to do something nice for someone and this is what happens,” Laura groused, which made both Seth and JT laugh.

“Yeah, you guys can come in.” JT stepped aside. “I mean, Mom has a rule about no one in the house when she’s not home, but I’m guessing that doesn’t apply to cops and teachers.”

Once inside, Laura’s first impression was, wow. The house was beautifully furnished. Not quite the McMansion that JT had mentioned, but a well decorated home in a lovely neighborhood.

Laura wasn’t sure what she expected, but her dislike for Mrs. Thomas might have colored her opinion of the type of house the woman would own.

JT led them into an immaculate living room. Curtains coordinated perfectly with the fabric on the furniture. Books were arranged artistically rather than functionally. Fresh flowers rested in an elegant vase on the coffee table.

JT seemed unsure of what to do next. “You wanna sit down, Ms. Watson? You look beat.”

“I am beat. Thanks.”

She sat on the couch, and Seth sat next to her. Now that JT was more at ease, Laura decided to broach her concerns. “JT, I stopped in because I was worried about you.”

Guilt was written on the teen’s face. “I’m fine. I felt a bit funky this morning, but I feel better now.”

“So, you will be in school tomorrow?” Laura asked. “You’re sure?”

Gone was the guilt and in its place was defiance. “Yeah. I wouldn’t want to miss my detention.”

“That’s not why I was worried, and I think you know it,” Laura said softly.

JT sighed, sounding much older than she looked. “Yeah, I do. None of my other teachers minded I was absent, I bet. Especially not Mrs. Lutz. She’s the reason I’m serving detention.”

Laura cocked her head to one side and raised her eyebrow. She’d found it was an effective expression when dealing with students. “She made you not turn in your homework?”

“No, but…”

Laura continued to stare at JT.

“No. But she didn’t mind handing out the detentions. Mrs. Lutz hates me.”

“Maybe that’s not hate. Maybe it’s frustration. Teachers feel frustrated when they can’t reach a student. She wants you to excel. So do I.”

“I don’t know about Mrs. Lutz. I think what she really wants is for me to hurry up and finish her class so she can pass me on to some other teacher,” JT replied, skepticism thick in her tone.

“And you think I’m here passing the buck, too?”

“No. You don’t want me to do more detentions and brought my homework. Thanks.”

Laura nodded. “That’s part of it.” She found herself adding, “And I was hoping if you caught up on your schoolwork tonight, you’d have time to come over and start that mural in the baby’s room this weekend.”

JT jumped and clapped. “You mean it?”

Laura hadn’t intended to make the offer, but seeing JT’s excitement, she was glad she had. “I told you it was a great design. And I don’t mind being around the paints at school because we’ve got a great ventilation system, but at home, my only ventilation would be an open window. It’s too cold for that, and I’d rather not be around the fumes long enough to paint the room myself, so you’ll be doing me a huge favor.”

It was more than paint fumes and Laura knew it. She wanted to be excited about this baby, but she couldn’t manage it. And she needed to get things done. Her pregnancy was close to term. “Really, you’ll be helping me out in a big way.”

“Oh, man, this is so cool. I’ve got to pick up some paint and I can be at your house first thing Saturday morning.”

“Why don’t you make me a list of the supplies you want and I’ll get those. And you’ll need your mom’s written permission.” And to be on the safe side, Laura would make sure the principal knew JT was coming over to do the project. Teachers had to be very careful about socializing with students. There were lines you couldn’t cross. “Spending time working on the actual mural is more than you should have to do as it is. I appreciate the favor.”

“Ms. Watson, this isn’t me doing you a favor, it’s you doing me one. I wanted to paint a mural in my room, but my mom and her decorator nixed that idea. Of course, I wasn’t planning on princesses. I outgrew that kid stuff a long time ago.”