Lorraine Beatty - Rekindled Romance

The low rumble of a diesel engine sounded in the distance. Shelby moved down the porch steps to the sidewalk, watching as the big yellow bus stopped and opened its doors. Kenny was off first, his little legs breaking into a run that sent his backpack bobbing up and down. He waved, a huge happy smile on his face as he raced toward her.

“Hi. I beat Cass. She walks too slow.”

Shelby laughed out loud. She was shocked to realize it had been a very long time since she’d known any true joy. The bus pulled away, and Shelby watched as Cassidy waved to someone then started toward her.

“Hi. I’m glad you’re going to watch us.”

The child’s comment sent a rush of warmth through Shelby’s heart. “Me, too. I’m looking forward to spending time with both of you.” It was the truth. Whatever problems Matt had, whatever reservations he held, he’d have to handle on his own. She wasn’t going to close herself off from these adorable children just because he harbored an old grudge.

“Miss Ellen left you some cookies. Are you hungry?” The responses were unanimous. Shelby followed the energetic kids up the steps and into the house. For the next three hours she was going to enjoy herself. Matt Durrant could just deal with it.

* * *

Matt pulled into the driveway, parking his car close to the side door of the house. His tension eased when he saw Ellen’s car parked in its normal spot. He’d managed to get off work early. He hadn’t been comfortable with the kids being around Shelby. He asked around the campus but found no alternative child care. He’d even called the local nanny service, but the cost was ridiculous. Hopefully he’d be able to make different arrangements over the weekend. His kids were still fragile emotionally. He had to make sure they were protected.

A firm tap on Ellen’s front door brought no response. Ellen rarely locked her door, so he tapped again then eased it open. He smiled when he recognized his children’s laughter. “Hello, anybody here? It’s me.”

“Daddy’s home!” Kenny’s shout echoed through the house. Matt stepped into the foyer in time to catch his son as he propelled himself up into his arms. “Hey, sport. Sounds like you’re having a good time.”

Kenny nodded and let go. “We’re looking at pictures of you. Come see.”

“Me?” Matt followed his son into the dining room, trying to find a reason why Ellen would have pictures of him. Cassidy was seated at one end of the table, her chair pulled close to Shelby’s. A board game was laid out on the opposite end. His daughter looked over her shoulder and smiled, sending his heart into meltdown. His little princess had him tightly wrapped around her sweet little finger.

“Hey, Daddy. Come see. We found pictures of you in high school. Look, look.” She motioned him to look over her shoulder. Matt moved forward, noticing for the first time the smile on Shelby’s face. Her brown eyes sparkled, highlighting the gold flecks, and there was a soft rosy glow in her cheeks. She looked contented and happy. Matt stepped to his daughter’s right side, away from Shelby, but the faint flowery scent of her fragrance drifted around him.

“Look, Dad, that’s you.” Cassidy pointed to a picture in a yearbook. He had to smile. Had he ever looked that young? He chuckled softly deep in his throat. “That would be me, all right.”

“You have lots of pictures in here.”

Matt reached out and folded back the cover to check the date. His senior year. “Yeah, I was pretty active that year. How did this turn up at Ellen’s house?” He directed his question to Shelby.

“It’s mine. I bought one every year. I was usually on the staff, so.” She shrugged. “I kept a lot of my things here at Gramma’s. We didn’t have much room in our apartment, and my mom liked to throw things out.”

“So where’s Ellen? I assumed she’d be here.” He felt like a heel when Shelby blanched at his question. But he’d arranged for her grandmother to watch the kids. Not her.

“She’s next door. Mrs. Horvath is under the weather, and she took her a casserole.”

Kenny had climbed back into his chair on the other side of his sister. “Daddy, is Mommy’s picture in the book?”

Matt braced against the pain the simple question stirred up. Would it always be this way? “No, son. Your mom didn’t grow up in Dover.”

“Where did she grow up?”

“In Savannah, Georgia. Remember, we went to the beach there right before she got sick?”

“I remember.” Cassidy’s happy mood had vanished.

Time to get his kids back into their own safe space. “Come on, kids. We’d better go home. You have homework, and we need to start supper.”

“We did our homework first thing.” Cassidy pushed back from the table.

“Dad, can we look at pictures of Mom after supper?”

“Sure, son.” He turned toward the door, aware of Shelby following behind him and also aware that he had to thank her. The kids gathered up their backpacks, then clustered near him at the front door.

“Matt.” He wasn’t in the mood to talk to her, but he couldn’t be rude. She had kept his children safe and entertained. He pulled open the door and gestured his kids to leave. “Y’all go on over to the house. I’ll be along in a minute.” He turned to face Shelby.

“I hope I didn’t cause any trouble with the yearbooks. It never occurred to me that they’d expect to see pictures of their mother.”

“Not your fault. I never know when the questions will come. They catch me off guard all the time.”

“I can’t image how difficult this is for you and the children. She was obviously a wonderful mother.”

“She was.” Sweet recollections drifted through his mind, but this time without the biting sting. “She was funny, always thinking of new ways to entertain them. She knew exactly what to say and do for any situation. Losing her traumatized the kids. Especially Cassidy. I put her in counseling for a while. She was like a lost puppy.”

“Is that why you moved back home, to be around your family?”

Her question made him realize that he’d been spilling his guts to Shelby. Absolutely not what he’d intended. But then, she’d always been easy to talk to. She knew things about him no one else did. But she didn’t need to know about his pain and loss. Not that she’d care. She was only passing through.

He had to remember his primary goal here. Keep his kids from any more heartbreak. “Yes. I felt they needed some stability. Some security. Atlanta was too full of memories. I sold my business and everything else and came home.” He held her gaze, willing her to understand what he was about to say. “My kids have suffered deeply in losing their mother. I want them to be surrounded by people who love them as much as I do. I want them to have people in their lives they can depend on, who won’t walk out when they need them most.” He stopped, realizing he wasn’t talking about his family anymore. He saw Shelby’s brown eyes darken.

“People like me, Matt?”

He set his jaw. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Matt turned to leave. “Tell Ellen thanks. I’m still looking for other babysitting options. I know she misses her volunteer work, and I don’t like imposing on you.”

Shelby crossed her arms over her chest. “Because I’m not dependable?”

No sense playing games. “No. You’re not.”

* * ** * *

The afternoon light streamed through the windowed walls of the sunroom on the back of Gramma’s house, casting a warm glow on the cozy space. Curled up in the old chaise, a magazine in her lap, she reveled in the familiar sense of peace. She glanced around the room at the stacks of magazines and smiled. She’d fallen in love with magazines because of her gramma. She’d hurry over here after school and lose herself in the glossy pages of beautiful rooms, filled with beautiful people doing beautiful things. Life within the pages was always perfect and happy. Magazines allowed her to escape her mother’s bitterness and forget for a while that she didn’t fit in at school.