What Happiness Looks Like (Promises) (10 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

JOELY

Joely was surprised when Jake called Anna on the phone to tell her how much he missed her. When she hung up, Anna begged her mom to take her to Michigan to see him and his parents—Anna’s grandparents. Joely said no. She knew Anna’s grandparents weren’t the kind to bake cookies and read bedtime stories. They were the kind to say, “Don’t touch that” and eat at restaurants that didn’t have children’s menus.

Jake called again the next day and Anna pleaded some more. Joely was starting to feel like an ogre. She liked that Jake was making an effort to stay in touch, but a phone call couldn’t take the place of actual face-to-face interaction. Plus Anna deserved to have grandparents and like it or not, these were her only ones. Like usual, Joely caved to her daughter’s pleas.

After an hour and a half car ride, they pulled into the curved driveway in front of a stucco mansion. With its fountain in the front yard and its wrought-iron balconies, the place seemed to scream success.

Once out of the car, Anna jumped up and down, asking to ring the doorbell. It chimed like the bells of Westminster Abbey, the familiar tune grandfather clocks often played. A bit pretentious, Joely always had thought, but never said so. She personally dreamed of a home small enough that she didn’t need a doorbell because she could hear a knock at the front door. A cottage near the water would be nice.

Jake and his mom met them at the front door. Mrs. Mahoney’s white-blond hair was in a tight bun, her slim body in a beige-colored suit by a designer Kate would probably recognize. A poodle with pink bows adorning each ear yapped at her feet.

The woman practically sneered as her eyes scanned Joely’s batik sarong and landed on her cane. She quickly regained her composure and gave Joely an air kiss near each cheek. She actually planted a kiss on Anna’s rosy cheek before squeezing her. “Oh, aren’t you precious! I always wanted a little girl I could spoil. Do you like to go shopping?”

Anna’s face smooshed against her grandmother’s shoulder. “I guess so.”

“Good.” Mrs. Mahoney made a dismissive wave with her hand. “You can meet your grandfather later. He had a nine o’clock tee-time.”

Joely bit her tongue. It was all coming back to her now—the golfing, the shopping. Jake’s parents’ priorities hadn’t changed one bit.

Once at the mall, they spent an hour in the children’s department of Macy’s where Anna tried on fancy party dresses that she would never have an occasion to wear. Jake’s mom bought her eight. Jake could barely carry them all wrapped in plastic bags, still on hangers, as they headed toward the next store. Joely rubbed her knees, not feeling up to an all-day hike on hard tile floors.

In the mall’s mezzanine, they passed an Asian man giving a massage to someone in a leatherette chair in the aisle. Joely longed to sit and have her shoulders rubbed. Her shoulders, her back, her knees—everything ached. Stress could do that, make her lupus act up. She figured a former lover suddenly re-entering her life and a disapproving almost-mother-in-law added to the mix, was more than her fair share of stress.

She kept walking, trying to use the cane to relieve the pressure on her knees. They went into another store where Anna pointed out a shirt with a glittery cupcake on it that she liked. Anna seemed to enjoy the fact that she could pick something out and unlike Joely, who would say, “I’ll think about it”, Jake’s mom said, “Try it on. If it fits, we’ll get it.”

Joely checked her watch. They had been there two hours and had barely started through the mall. She glanced out the store and saw a bench in the center.

“You OK?” Jake asked.

Joely hadn’t even realized that she’d been rubbing her lower back. She gestured toward the bench that beckoned her. “I think I might go sit out there and wait.”

“Sure.”

Joely checked with Anna before making her way to the bench. Sitting provided some relief. Unsure how much her body could handle today, she took a deep breath. She didn’t want to ruin Anna’s special day. She’d seen the twinkle in her daughter’s eye when Jake’s mom bought her a necklace with her initials AJ on them.

Constantly glancing at her watch, she couldn’t believe how slowly time was moving. Twenty minutes later Jake joined her on the bench, plastic dress bags in tow. “Mom wants to take Anna to go get her fingernails painted. I thought I’d hang out with you.”

She nodded, glad for some company, even if it was Jake.

He leaned back on the bench and crossed his long legs at the ankles. “Anna is already learning to strategize in chess. I can’t believe how quickly she learned the movements of each piece.”

Joely swelled with pride. “She found a website where she can practice playing chess. She’s been doing that ever since you left.”

“Pretty soon she’s going to kick my ass.”

A smirk pulled at her lips. She thought that sounded great.

“Joely? Is that you?” a female voice called from across the aisle.

Joely looked up to see her former employer and dear friend rushing toward her. Pleased to see a familiar face, Joely smiled and stood up. “Kelly!”

Dressed impeccably in an olive sheath dress, Kelly gave her a gentle hug that lasted longer than usual. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m just visiting.” Kelly’s obvious joy over their chance meeting warmed Joely like sunshine.

“Boy, did the clients complain when I lost you.” Kelly looked at Jake while pointing toward Joely with her thumb. “This one’s so creative, I had a heck of a time trying to replace her.” She smiled at Joely, flashing her white teeth. “I miss seeing your finished pieces so much. What are you working on now?”

Joely eased herself back down onto the bench. “I’ve been busy raising my daughter, volunteering at her school. . .” Words failed her. Was that all she did? Now that Anna was in class five days a week, Joely didn’t have much to fill the time.

“Well, it’s a shame that you’re not painting.” Kelly’s hand reached toward Joely’s collarbone. “Is that one of the necklaces I made?”

Joely eyed the jade pendant surrounded by glass beads. “Yes, it’s my favorite of yours.”

Just then Joely heard her daughter’s high-pitched chatter coming toward them. She turned and could see pink eye shadow and blush on Anna as she approached. Joely’s blood pressure shot up. She didn’t believe little girls should wear makeup.

Kelly looked to see what had garnered Joely’s attention. “Is that your daughter?”

Joely nodded.

“So cute. Where did she get the blond hair?”

Joely didn’t respond. Kelly glanced at Jake and appeared to put two and two together. Joely had told Kelly all about Jake, but they’d never met. He was married, living in California, at the time she and Kelly had become friends.

When no one spoke, Kelly said her goodbyes, gave Joely one more delicate hug and left.

Before Joely could protest, Anna held out her tiny fingernails, and fluttered them in the air. “Look, Mom. They put little hearts on them.”

Pink nails with white hearts. She could see how much Anna liked them. “They’re beautiful. Did you remember to say thank you to. . .” She wasn’t sure what to call her.

“Grandma,” Jake’s mom said. “I told AJ to call me Grandma.”

“Her name’s Anna.”

Mrs. Mahoney made a dismissive wave with her hand. “Fiddle-dee.”

Joely cringed. She did not like people changing her daughter’s name. She’d dreamed of naming her daughter Anna Jo long before she’d ever met these people.

Anna continued to admire her own polished nails. “I told Grandma about Dads’ Night at school and she said she used to have a real poodle skirt. Isn’t that neat?”

Then Joely saw something glimmering on Anna’s earlobe. Joely pushed back her daughter’s long blond hair to reveal a diamond stud. “What did you do?”

Anna looked down at her toe, twisting it like she was squishing a bug. “Grandma said you’d understand.”

Joely shot the woman a look. “You let my five year old get her ears pierced?”

Mrs. Mahoney nodded. “Every young lady should have a pair of diamond studs.”

“Those are real diamonds?” Joely pulled on her daughter’s lobe to get a closer look. She’d never owned a real diamond herself.

Anna flinched. “Ow!”

Joely released her daughter’s now-pink ear. “Sorry.” She shook her head. “This is not OK. I’m her mother. And getting her ears pierced was something I was saving for when she was older.”

Mrs. Mahoney shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“You were wrong.” Joely took a quick breath, pain and anger flaring. “Coming here was a mistake. We’re going home.” She stood abruptly, not thinking how the seesaw of Anna’s emotions was about to come crashing down.

Joely clasped her daughter’s hand, grabbed her cane, and made a beeline for the exit. Anna started to cry.

KATE

They’d talked late into the night and by morning, Mitch had decided. He hummed “Papa’s going to buy you a Mockingbird” as he and Kate walked through the painting section of Howell’s Hardware Store downtown.

They stopped in front of the wall of color strips. She wished he would reach for her hand, but he didn’t and she was afraid to try and hold his. Even so, she oozed happiness. She couldn’t even remember the last time she and Mitch had done something fun together. Now they were like a young couple embarking on a new adventure.

He perused the paint samples. “Anna’s room is already pink, so I was thinking maybe we’d go with something else.”

Kate didn’t like the sound of this. She’d loved decorating Anna’s room with its canopy bed and frilly peppermint-striped comforter. It was exactly how she’d always imagined it. “But pink is the perfect color for a little girl.”

Nodding, he kept his gaze on the rainbow of paint samples. “What about something non-traditional?” He reached for a card displaying a range from navy to teal.

“Blue for a girl is certainly non-traditional.” She shook her head. “There’s no way we’re painting Lily and Dayna’s room that color.” She mulled over the baby’s name, Dayna. Not bad. Unfortunately, Lily hadn’t spelled it the way Kate thought it should be. The child would suffer a lifetime of saying, “There’s a ‘y’ in the middle.”

“How about this?” He selected a strip and pointed toward a yellow rectangle.

Kate read the name aloud. “Sunshine. Hmm. I kind of like it.” Except that she wanted this decision to take longer. She wanted to savor every minute of preparing for Lily to move in with them. “What about this color?” She reached for a less buttery hue.

He narrowed his eyes. “No. We both liked this one. Let’s buy some cans so I can get home and start painting.”

She crossed her arms, stalling. “I don’t want to rush this.”

“But we need to. I want the paint fumes to be gone before the baby moves in.”

The baby. He was concerned about the baby. It was amazing how things had turned around for them in an instant. “OK.”

He tapped the yellow paint strip against the palm of his hand and headed toward the counter. Once he’d calculated how many gallons he needed, he turned toward Kate. His warm, brown eyes twinkled with anticipation. “Want to go to Babies ‘R Us after this?”

She couldn’t help but grin. The whole day was going to be about preparing for a baby. A real, live baby girl.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

JOELY

Joely dreaded going home.

She had just walked Anna into the kindergarten classroom, helping her carry her “foil family”, a sculpture she’d made out of aluminum foil in honor of F, the letter of the week. A little boy wearing a Cubs hat bumped into her leg as he hurried down the hall. Joely barely noticed him or the other children on their way to class since her mind was elsewhere.

Yesterday Anna hadn’t hesitated to twist the metal to form a tall figure to represent her dad. She created floor-length skirts for her mom and aunt. Uncle Mitch sat next to them on the shoebox, sporting shiny silver pants like Jake’s. Monte, the cat, stood on four foil balls with his tail in the air. He was barely shorter than the crinkled foil figure representing Anna.

Joely felt a little unsettled, seeing how quickly Anna had added Jake to her family tree. Her daughter hadn’t yet learned how to build a wall around her heart. Was age five when she would learn? Joely shoved her hands in her coat pockets. Anna was too young for that kind of lesson. She was too young for that kind of pain—the kind of pain Joely knew loving and losing Jake produced.

Unfortunately, their family was even more fragile than Joely had realized. The other night she’d overheard Mitch asking Kate when her sister was going to move out. Something about how he wanted to walk around in his boxer shorts but couldn’t because she lived there. She knew he had a point.

As Joely exited the school, she heard someone’s cell phone go off behind her. It played the theme song from “Dukes of Hazzard”. She smiled to herself, remembering how she and Kate had argued over who was cuter—Bo or Luke Duke. Joely thought it was Bo, the blond. Curious, she turned to see whose phone it was. Then she smiled even more, realizing it belonged to Dalton.

Dalton held the slender black phone against his ear. “Be there in a few minutes.” He snapped the phone shut and made eye contact. “Have you ever seen a foal being born?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Are you interested? I got a call from my neighbor that she needs me to come over.”

The wind blew a strand of hair in her face. She tucked it behind her ear. “Why does your neighbor need you?”

“Because I’m a vet.”

Funny how their occupations hadn’t come up yet. Joely had continued to dodge his offers for a one-on-one date, and when the kids were around, it was hard to carry on much of a conversation.

Joely thought about what she had planned to do today: clean out her daughter’s closet, putting sweaters and hats away to make room for spring and summer clothes. With all the reaching and bending taxing her joints, it could take her several days. The whole time she’d be feeling guilty that she’d overstayed her welcome. Was it possible that her presence had contributed to the deterioration of Mitch and Kate’s marriage? Soon she and Anna needed to find a new place to live.

Overwhelmed with all of these thoughts, Joely took a deep breath. “I’d love to come.”

# # #

The sun never broke through the morning clouds as Joely followed Dalton in her rusty Ford. They pulled into a horse farm with several pastures encircled by white wooden fences.

A blond woman in a short dress and high heels walked quickly toward Dalton after he parked his pickup in the grass. She had two coats of mascara and heavy eye shadow layered on her lids. Nothing about her appeared natural.

Dalton climbed out of his truck, carrying a rectangular case. “Renee, meet Joely. Our kids go to school together.”

Renee barely looked at Joely before grabbing Dalton’s hand and pulling him toward the stable. “I called my trainer, but he isn’t here yet.”

Joely found her way into the stable and saw Renee and Dalton leaning against the door to a stall, their shoulders touching. Renee’s hand rested on the small of Dalton’s back. When she came near them, Joely could see a large black horse lying on the straw floor, its tail wrapped with some kind of white tape.

Renee tossed her long, bleached hair behind her shoulders. “I hate to miss this, but I’m already late for a meeting.”

Dalton nodded. “Most horses give birth on their own without human intervention, but I’ll be here just in case. Don’t worry about it. Go.”

Renee leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You’re the best.” She tossed a kiss-my-ass look toward Joely before she exited the barn. A moment later she sped off in a little black sports car.

Joely took her place next to Dalton. “What’s her story? She doesn’t seem like the kind to take care of horses.”

He chuckled. “No. She hires someone to do that. She just likes to ride.”

Joely wondered if Renee and Dalton were dating. Renee had touched him in such a familiar way, they probably were. Maybe Joely had missed her chance with Dalton. And she didn’t even realize that she cared until now.

She studied the shiny, black horse that appeared to have been tipped onto its side. She didn’t know much about horses, but she knew they didn’t usually lie down. “Tell me what to expect.”

He wedged the pointed toe of his boot between the stall’s wooden slats. “Mares have personalities much like people. If they’re nervous or high-strung, they resist delivery. But typically they foal rather quickly.”

Joely made an affirmative sound in her throat. “Oh look.” She pointed toward the mare’s tail raised in the air.

The horse snorted and acted as if it wanted to stand up. Dalton opened the gate and entered the stall. “It’s OK, girl. Easy.” He placed his hand on her ebony neck. She calmed for a moment and they waited. The barn fell silent while he stroked her mane.

Jerking with a contraction, the mare broke the silence. Her hooves banged against the walls as she labored.

Joely’s muscles clenched in solidarity. She whispered, “Push,” under her breath. Joely told herself to be patient, but the horse’s efforts didn’t seem to be doing anything. Minutes felt like hours. “You’re doing great. Push.”

Before she realized it, her eyes watered. She spoke louder now, to Dalton: “Can’t you do something?”

He moved toward the horse’s backside. He examined the hooves just starting to protrude from the womb. “It looks like it’s going to be breech.” Quickly he opened his case and slipped on some long, rubber gloves that covered his arms like sleeves. A moment later his hands were deep inside of the mare. “I’ll see if I can give her some help.”

“She looks like she’s in a lot of pain. Is she going to be alright?”

His eyebrows pointed down. His face looked serious. “I’m trying to reposition the foal.”

Suddenly she heard rain pounding on the roof, like marbles dropped on the floor. She glanced toward the open door at the grayness, but quickly returned her attention to the birth. Nothing else mattered. Somehow both life and death seemed eminent.

He shook his head in disappointment.

“What?”

He didn’t answer, his focus on the mare and the life caught inside of her. Clearly, he hadn’t been able to turn the foal.

Time seemed as if it ceased to exist. All that mattered was here and now. The mare strained with another contraction and Joely’s heart banged inside her chest. This didn’t feel right. Did animals die from breech births? Even when a vet was there?

Dalton tugged on the tiny horse’s hooves. There was resistance. This was what it meant to be caught in limbo. Somewhere between born and not born, between mother and earth.

This was taking forever. Standing by without any way to help was the worst feeling ever. It seemed wrong to idly watch another living creature suffer. She wished she could do something.

With a determined look, Dalton gripped the foal’s hindquarters and pulled.

Joely held her breath. Please-be-OK-please-be-OK-please-be-OK.

Still nothing happened. Dalton did not give up. He kept pulling.

Suddenly, in one fluid motion, the torso slid out. Its head and front legs remained hidden. With another tug from Dalton, the foal’s entire body was revealed. It was alive! Mother and baby survived!

The foal was encased with some kind of white covering, dappled with blood. Dalton peeled it back like a sheet.

Flooded with joy, Joely clapped and cheered. “That was amazing.” She’d never seen an animal the instant it came into this world. And she’d never seen such a miniature horse before. It was black with one white hind leg. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yes.” He checked the gender. “
He
is.”

“Oops.” She laughed at herself. “I guess that’s why you’re the vet.” Her palm against her pounding chest, she tried to catch her breath. Adrenaline zinged throughout her body. “Wow. I’ll never forget this day.”

Dalton smiled and winked at her. “It’s something special, isn’t it?” The mare rested for several minutes while Dalton peeled off his gloves and cut the wrapping off her tail. He stroked both horses. “Good job. You did a good job.” The mare turned and licked the colt’s nose.

Joely saw a thick, twisted, umbilical cord still connecting them. “Do you need to cut the cord?”

“No. It’s important it stays connected for a little while. When the mare stands, she’ll break the cord.”

“Wow. Mother Nature has it all figured out, doesn’t she?”

“Pretty much. Makes my job easy.” He continued stroking the foal’s nose. “Too bad Renee couldn’t be here for this.”

Joely stiffened. “Yeah.”

“She’s missing her opportunity to imprint with this newborn like I’m doing. Now we’ll have a strong bond.”

“Oh.” She put her hands in her pockets, wondering how to ask about his relationship with Renee. “Are you and Renee. . .”

“Hi there, Doc,” a husky voice boomed.

They both turned to see a sixty-ish man with broad shoulders, swaggering toward them. He was dressed like John Wayne, water dripping from his hat.

“Hi. Glad you’re here. She just delivered.” Looking at Joely, Dalton nodded toward the big man. “This is Renee’s trainer. He takes care of everything around here.”

The John Wayne look-alike entered the stall and put his hand on the foal. “Just doing my job.”

Dalton stood. “Do you think you could take over for me? Make sure he nurses? If not, call me and I’ll bring some frozen colostrum over.”

He nodded. “No problem.”

Dalton exited the stall, but continued talking to the man. “Do you have Nolvasan to disinfect the navel?”

The trainer nodded.

After staring at the two horses a while longer, Joely said goodbye to the stranger. Dalton walked with her toward the open stable door. The rain had lightened, but she still thought she’d make a run for her car. Too bad her coat didn’t have a hood.

Dalton seemed to hesitate at the edge of the rain. “You want to come to my house for lunch?”

She looked at her watch. It was only 10:30. “I don’t think so.”

“Coffee then?”

She wanted to, but part of her held back, kept her in check. How could she compete with blond, vivacious Renee? Besides, Dalton deserved a simple romance. “Not today. I need to look for a job.” The words surprised her.

“A job? What kind of job?”

“Anything, really. I need to start saving some money.”

He shifted his weight, glancing at the rain. “What’s your field?”

“I’ve got to go. Really. Thanks for letting me be a part of this.” Thinking of the awesome event she’d just witnessed made her want to stay. How could she go back to the everyday grind now? She wanted to hold on to the joy.

Somehow she made herself turn up the collar of her coat and take off running through the grass. The rain flattened her hair, making it stick to her cheeks.

Then swoosh! Her left foot slid behind her in the mud and she landed on her forearms, facedown in the patchy wet grass. She could feel the mud stuck to her hands. As she slowly raised herself, she saw brown stains where her knees had landed on her cotton skirt. She was filthy.

Dalton, instantly at her side, took her hand and helped her stand. “Are you alright?”

She nodded, now really soaked. She couldn’t wait to get in her car and get away from this moment. This totally embarrassing moment.

He raised his voice a little to be heard over the rain. “I have an idea. Let me give you a ride in my truck. I have vinyl seats so the mud will wipe right off.”

She shook her head. What grown woman falls in the mud? That was something Anna might do.

Dalton still held her hand, as if she needed steadying. “Seriously. Get in my truck. I’ve got some clean clothes at my place. Then I’ll drive you back over here to get your car.”

The longer she resisted, the more miserable and damp she became. “OK.” He opened the door for her. Always a gentleman, even in the rain. She climbed into the passenger side of his truck and he closed the door behind her. Watching Dalton walk around to the other side, Joely listened to the rain plunking on the metal roof. Then she let him take her to his home.

# # #