Everlasting Love

A melding of wonderful aromas identified the camp kitchen. Looking for her sister, Megan peered through the screen door before opening it. Inside, a middle-aged, obviously harried woman with bright red hair was dashing back and forth between the stove and dining area. Roxy was nowhere to be seen.

“Grab my biscuits out of the oven, will you?” the woman hollered as soon as she spotted Megan. “There’s a hot pad over there, on the counter.”

“Sure. By the way, I’m Megan White, Roxy’s sister. Is she around?”

“In the bathroom primpin’, last I saw her.”

“That figures. You must be Inez Gogerty.”

“In the flesh,” the older woman said. “Forgot my manners for a minute there. Sorry. I got behind when the boss showed up needin’ ice.”

“For the little boy’s nose? How is he?”

“Fine. Mostly hurt his pride, I ’spect. That kind of thing happens all the time ’round here. You’ll get used to it.”

“I’m hoping it won’t happen as often after I get my project going.”

“The critters? Yeah, I heard. Ol’ James’s not exactly tickled pink about that. Course, I ’spect you know that.”

Megan smiled. “He did mention it.”

“I’ll just bet he did.” Inez looked her over and chortled. “You must be a lot tougher than you look.”

“I have my moments,” Megan answered. “Have you known Mr. Harris a long time?”

“Since he was knee-high to a grasshopper.”

“What was he like?”

“Oh, he was okay.” The cook scooped hot biscuits into a bowl, covered it, then handed it to Megan. “That goes next to the green beans. I hope everybody gets here before the fried chicken gets cold.”

“The boys are on their way,” Megan said. “Zac took them to wash up first.”

Inez nodded, her short, henna curls bobbing. “That should be interesting. You want to know what James was like as a boy, you just look at that there Zachary.”

“Oh, my.”

“Yup. He was a little smart aleck all right. Good-hearted, though, in spite of all the fixes he got himself into. His folks gave up tryin’ to cope with him and packed him off to boarding school just in time to avoid a set-to with the law. Nobody heard from him for years. When he finally showed up back in Serenity, he was all growed up.”

“Are his parents still around?”

“Nope. Whole family left town after they sent him away. Far as I know, he lost touch with everybody, even his brothers. Course, that wasn’t no accident.”

Megan was appalled. “You mean, he doesn’t want to find them? Why not? They’re his family.”

“He told me they’d disowned him, not the other way around. That’s good enough for me,” Inez said flatly. “Just because somebody’s born into a family doesn’t mean they have to stay in it if they’re not wanted.”

“Don’t you think they’re worried about him?”

From behind her a deep voice said, “No.”

Startled, Megan whirled. James was standing in the doorway, a clean-faced Bobby Joe half-hidden behind him. She forced a smile. “Hi. We were just talking about you.”

“So I gathered.”

“I wasn’t being nosy,” Megan explained. “I just wanted to understand what motivates you, what makes you the person you are.”

“Hard knocks,” he said. “Any other questions?”

“Only why you choose to hold a grudge and cut yourself off from your family,” she blurted, before taking time to fully censor her thoughts.

James huffed. “It wasn’t my decision to go away in the first place, and it wasn’t me who didn’t leave a forwarding address. If my folks don’t care, why should I?”

“How about your brothers?” Megan asked. “Have you done a search on the Internet? I’ll be bringing a laptop with me when I move in. You’re welcome to borrow it if you want.”

“Believe it or not, Camp Refuge not only has electricity, a telephone and indoor plumbing, it also has its own computer system. Your notion of us being dumb, backward hillbillies is outdated, Ms. White.”

“I didn’t mean anything like that. I was just trying to make a sensible suggestion.”

“I know.” He spoke with resignation and a quiet sigh. “That’s a big part of our problem. You’re determined to help me in spite of everything I’ve told you, and I don’t need or want any help. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’d hardly call my work simple,” she countered. “You may not take this project seriously, but I do. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to convince you I’m right and you’re wrong.” In the background, Megan heard the cook’s quick intake of breath.

James, however, began to laugh and shake his head. “I don’t suppose it’s occurred to you that we might both be a little right, has it? No, I didn’t think so.” He glanced past her into the dining hall. “Where are the rest of the boys? Did you leave them with Aaron?”

“No. Zac took them to wash up,” Megan said. The moment the words were out of her mouth and she saw the look of disbelief on James’s face, she knew she’d made a mistake.

“What? I told you to watch them.”

“You don’t have to raise your voice. They’re fine. They just went to wash their hands, that’s all.”

“You’d better hope that’s all.”

Stomping past her on his way out the front door, James was mumbling to himself. Megan couldn’t make out most of what he was saying but she did manage to catch a word or two. That was plenty.

Chagrined, she looked around the kitchen for something to keep her busy till he got back. “Can I help you with anything else?” she asked Inez.

“Nope. Everything’s ready. Why don’t you take Bobby Joe into the dining room?”

“What a wonderful idea.” Megan crouched down to be on the child’s eye level and asked, “How about it? I don’t know how you do things around here. Will you show me?”

To her delight, the fair-haired boy nodded.

Straightening, Megan took his hand. “Good. Let’s start with where we’re supposed to sit to eat, shall we? I want to be ready when Mr. Harris comes back.”

“Zac hit me,” Bobby Joe said.

“I know. That was too bad. You look fine now, though.”

“I bleeded on my shirt,” he announced, sounding proud. “Bunches. It was gross.”

“I saw. Why were you fighting with Zac?”

“’Cause he’s mean. I hate him.”

“That’s too bad. Well, maybe you’ll get to go home soon and you won’t have to see him anymore.”

“Uh-uh.”

Megan suddenly realized she’d gotten so caught up in their conversation, she’d spoken out of turn. To glean the most from her project, she knew she’d have to rely on facts, not supposition. Like James Harris, some of the children she’d be working with would never be welcomed at home—if they even had a home. Perhaps Bobby Joe was one of those.

Rather than make things worse, she tried to change the subject by pointing to one of the long tables. “So, do we sit here?”

“Yeah.” He clambered onto the bench and folded his hands while Megan joined him. Then he said, “Zac gave me a swirly yesterday.”

“A what?”

“He dunked me. My hair got all wet.”

“Oh.” Megan was starting to relax till the child added, “Yeah. Then he flushed.”

By the time James returned with the other five boys plus Aaron and Roxy, Megan had had time to imagine lots of scenarios, most of them bad. She breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, her previous work hadn’t prepared her for the challenges she was going to encounter here.

She glanced down at the angelic little boy seated beside her and smiled. He was a doll, the kind of well-behaved, eager-to-please child who brought out her maternal instincts and made her want to protect him. Too bad the would-be hood who had clobbered him hadn’t had the same kind of good upbringing.

The other boys marched up to the table and quickly took their places while Roxy flirted with Aaron in the background.

James remained standing and glared down at Megan. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Leave the boys unsupervised. When I tell you to watch them, I mean watch them.”

She got to her feet to face him on more equal ground. “Oh, come on. They were just washing their hands. Zac said he’d take care of the littler ones, and it looks to me like he did a fine job.”

“That’s not the point. You didn’t follow orders.”

“I’m sorry, okay. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“You can say that again.”

“You don’t have to yell at me.”

“I’m not yelling.”

“Well, you sure could have fooled me.”

Inez was entering the room, bearing a platter heaped with crispy fried chicken. Megan let her pass, then grabbed James’s arm and tugged him toward the kitchen. When he resisted, she scowled. “Come with me. I want to settle this in private. It won’t take long.”

He gave in reluctantly and followed her through the door. “It better not.”

Megan whirled, her voice husky, her eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare threaten me.”

“I wasn’t. I didn’t.” James gestured back toward the dining room. “What do you have to say to me that couldn’t be said just as easily in there?”

“Plenty.”

She couldn’t believe he didn’t realize what he’d done, what he was still doing by not lowering his voice and confronting her as quietly as possible, so she set an example by rasping at him in a near whisper, “You told me not to question your authority in front of the kids, yet you just made me look like a fool in front of those boys—and my sister.”

“I did not.”

“You most certainly did,” Megan insisted. “Everybody makes mistakes. Even me. I was joking when I told you I thought I was perfect. From now on, if you have anything derogatory to say to me, I’ll expect you to say it in private.”

One eyebrow arched. He gave a slight shrug and spoke more softly. “All right. I’ll spell it out for you. These kids may look angelic but many of them are seriously disturbed. One at a time they’re usually pretty agreeable. In a group, anything can happen—and often does.”

“You mean I’m supposed to treat them like they’re in jail?”

“Not exactly. When one of them merits trust we give it, up to a point. Next time you’re not sure whether or not to permit something, ask me or Aaron about it first and we’ll avoid problems like this.”

“That sounds reasonable enough.” Megan chanced a slight smile. “I’m sorry I caused you extra worry. I thought my decision to let Zac take them to wash up was perfectly logical.”

“I know. It’s partly my fault, too. I should have warned you these kids would try to bamboozle you big-time. You’ve learned that on your own, I take it.”

“No kidding. Talk about a trial by fire.”

“Everything turned out okay. We’ll forget it ever happened. Now, let’s go eat before the kids get so hungry we have a mutiny on our hands.” He pushed open the swinging door between the kitchen and dining room and held it politely. “After you.”

To Megan, the most amazing thing was his apparently complete change of mood. In the blink of an eye, James Harris had gone from delivering angry retorts to being a gracious host. She frowned at him as she passed, unsure if she was reading him right. While her stomach was still tied in knots and her hands were trembling from their encounter, he seemed calm, totally in control.

Everyone stared at them as they left the kitchen together. James headed for his normal spot at the head of the table, escorting her as he went.

Megan slid into the place where she’d been sitting, directly to James’s right, because it was the only available space. There was no gracious way to move away from him as she had on the porch. Therefore, she figured she’d better follow his example and start acting more normal or the boys might get the idea they could pit them against each other again.

Seated beside Aaron and Roxy at the opposite end of the long table, Inez quietly bowed her head. Megan was expecting someone to say a blessing on their meal but no one spoke. They simply observed a quiet moment while she used the time to pull herself together.

When everyone suddenly looked up and began talking, she felt much better, much more at ease. She decided to break her silence and let James know she’d simmered down by asking him a question. “You don’t say grace?”

“Can’t. Separation of church and state,” he said. “The silent prayer was Inez’s idea. So far, nobody’s questioned us about it. Most folks are pretty tolerant out here in the sticks. It’s when the kids go home that we may hear complaints.”

“I see.” Megan lowered her voice for privacy, though she wasn’t too worried about being overheard above the boisterous conversation going on at the table. “Speaking of home, tell me about Bobby Joe. What’s his situation?”

“He’s temporary, like all the others. I’ll give you access to our files as soon as you set up your computer.”

“What about Zac? Why do you let him pick on Bobby Joe so much?”

James chuckled. “Let him? Not hardly. I do my best to keep them apart. Being brothers, they naturally gravitate to each other.”

“Brothers?” Megan was flabbergasted. “Those two are related? They’re not a bit alike.”

“Lots of siblings aren’t,” he said, offering her the platter of chicken before taking any for himself. “My brothers are far different than I am.”

“Oh? How so?”

Passing the mashed potatoes and picking up the bowl of green beans, he spooned some onto his plate. “They were always perfect saints. Sons to make their parents proud.”

“And you weren’t?”

James chuckled. “According to my folks I was the exact opposite. I got tired of not being able to live up to their ideals, gave up trying and let them think what they wanted.”

“I’ll bet they’d be proud of your work here.”

“I don’t care one way or the other. It’s enough to know I’m doing the right thing. I don’t need validation from them or anyone else.”

Nodding, Megan sighed. At the far end of the table, her sister was carrying on an animated conversation with Aaron Barnes, leaning close and fawning over him. The poor guy was blushing, obviously embarrassed by all the extra attention.

Megan shared the young man’s discomfort. Though she felt sorry for James because of his estrangement from his family, there were times, like now, when she wished she didn’t have to worry about anyone but herself, either. To make matters worse, James was also watching the young people. Judging by the look of consternation on his face, he wasn’t any happier about their interaction than she was.

Softly, Megan said, “I’ll take care of that as soon as Roxy and I are alone. She’ll back off. I promise.”

James, who had been taking a sip of ice water as she spoke, looked incredulous, burst into laughter and promptly choked.

Megan slapped him on the back. “Serves you right. It wasn’t that funny.”

“Yes, it was,” he managed, while coughing into his napkin. “I can just picture that little sisterly talk.”

“I’ll expect you to speak to your helper about it, too,” Megan added. “We can’t put all the burden of good behavior on my sister.”

James coughed again, finally getting his irritated throat under control. When he lowered the napkin he was grinning like he’d just heard the best joke of his life and was still chortling over the punch line.

“Okay,” Megan said, “what’s so amusing?”

“You are. Anybody who thinks she can convince a fifteen-year-old girl to stop making eyes at a good-looking college boy is out of her ever-lovin’ mind.”

Chapter Four

The remainder of the meal passed rapidly for Megan. She took part in the boys’ lively discussions as much as possible, hoping to gain insight into each of their characters, while trying to keep an eye on her sister, as well.

By the end of the evening she had decided that all but the two littlest boys were better actors than most Academy Award winners—and those two were strong runners-up. Listening to them chatter, observing their innocent expressions, she would never have guessed that their short lives had been filled with enough trauma and adversity to overwhelm most adults.

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