Love one Another

To her surprise, Justin released his usual hold on his father’s leg, threw himself at her, wrapped his little arms tightly around her neck and began to weep anew. Tina got down on both knees to hug him close.

“Oh, baby. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

Tears of empathy filled her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks. This emotionally needy child had touched her as no other had. She kissed his hair, his wet cheeks, then cupped his face in her hands so he’d have to look at her when she reassured him.

“We love you, Justin. We’d never let anything bad happen to you.”

As soon as she’d spoken she realized she’d made an inappropriate inference by combining her own compassion with that of Zac Frazier. Well, too bad. Knowing there was more than one person in the world who cared about him was critical to Justin’s peace of mind. If his father didn’t like it, tough.

She dried the child’s tears with the hem of her skirt and made sure he’d stopped crying, before she gathered her courage and stood to confront Zac. “We need to discuss a few things, Mr. Frazier. In private.”

To her surprise, he still seemed aggravated.

“Insurance will probably pay for the damage,” Zac grumbled, scowling at his van. “What a mess. I wish you’d asked me instead of getting so carried away.”

“You’re worried about the mess from a broken window?” Exasperation filled Tina’s voice. “Fine. I’ll help you clean it up. But I don’t give a hoot about your stupid window, okay? It’s your son I’m worried about.”

“You weren’t so worried when you dropped broken glass all over him.”

“All the new cars have safety glass. It’s not sharp when it breaks. I knew it wouldn’t hurt him.”

“How about scare him to death,” Zac countered. “He was already having a fit over waking up alone.”

She wanted to scream, So hug him. Show him some real affection, but she held her tongue. Yelling at the man wasn’t going change him, especially since he didn’t seem to have a clue he was doing anything wrong. If he agreed to rent the property she’d shown him, however, she’d have lots of opportunities to observe his interaction with his son and offer a few subtle pointers on parenting. Unfortunately, with the Fraziers so close by, she wouldn’t be able to escape from that duty, either. Even if she wanted to.

“So, are you going to take this house?” Tina asked, deliberately changing the subject. “You should commit yourself as soon as possible, you know. It won’t stay empty for long.” In her heart, she half hoped he’d say no, and relieve her of the God-given responsibility she was feeling.

“I suppose I will,” Zac said flatly. “I haven’t found any other place close to my job, and the rent is reasonable.”

Well, that was that, Tina thought. She was stuck. “Okay. I’ll let the landlord know. He can drop the rental agreement by your office, if you like.”

“That’ll be fine.”

Tina held out her hand as if to shake on the deal, then quickly withdrew it when she recalled the way she’d reacted when they’d touched before. “Good night, then. I’ve done my good deed for the day, so I guess I’ll be going. Do you think you can find your way back to your motel by yourself?”

“Probably. Can I borrow a whisk broom and dustpan before I go? I need to sweep up the broken glass.”

“And I said I’d help you, didn’t I? I really am sorry. I was sure you said you wanted me to break the window.” She flashed a wry smile.

“What I said was, give me something to break loose the dirt that was keeping me from getting to my spare key. I don’t understand where all that hard mud came from. It hasn’t rained since I’ve been here.”

“Probably from wasps. Mud daubers,” Tina told him. “They make nests in everything, even motors. Thankfully, they’re not as aggressive as the big, red, paper-wasps. Those can be nasty. If you see a nest with a bunch of exposed cells, kind of like honeycomb, don’t put your hand into it.”

“I’ll remember that. Thanks, neighbor.”

Neighbor? He soon would be, wouldn’t he. Phooey. Well, like it or not, that was apparently what the Lord wanted, because the only available house in town was the one they were standing in front of.

How could she argue with providence? Clearly, God agreed that it would be much easier for her to help Justin if he lived close by. All she had to do was continue to keep his good-looking daddy at arm’s length so she wouldn’t be tempted to repeat past mistakes.

As Tina turned away to fetch the broom, her empty stomach growled. Combined with her guilt over not really wanting the Fraziers to become her neighbors, her hunger reminded her of Sunday’s sermon about feeding a needy brother or sister. She didn’t know how needy Zac and Justin might be, but it was long past her suppertime and she was starving to death. So why not invite them to eat with her?

Because it was a stupid idea, she argued. It was also a perfect opportunity to make them feel welcome and begin to educate Zac about children.

Hurrying back with the cleaning tools, she made her decision. “Why don’t you two stay for supper? We can have a picnic in the backyard. I keep lots of hamburgers and hot dogs in the freezer, so I’m ready for any emergency.”

Raising one eyebrow, Zac regarded her quizzically. “Is that local cuisine?”

“Not unless we wrap the whole sandwich in dough, dump it in a pan and deep fry it, too,” Tina said with a light laugh. “Even some of the pies are fried around here.”

“So I’ve heard. The thing that surprises me is how these people can live to be so old when they eat so much food that’s supposed to be bad for you.”

“Clean living— Was that a yes?”

“I think we could both use a break from restaurant food,” Zac said, looking to his son for confirmation. “How about it, buddy? Want to eat at Miss Tina’s tonight?”

“Yeah!”

Pleased, Zac nodded. “That makes it unanimous. We’ll be over as soon as I get this mess…” His jaw dropped. Instead of clinging to him the way he usually did, Justin had raced back to Tina’s side and immediately grabbed her hand.

“We’ll wait for you,” Tina said, careful to consider his feelings. He had been the boy’s only refuge for a long time, and she didn’t want him to think she was trying to take his place. “I’d rather cook outside in this kind of weather, and I’m probably going to need your help lighting the barbecue.” Her grin widened. “I’ve heard that men are especially talented at getting cooking fires to burn properly.”

“You heard right,” Zac quipped. “We pass the secret down from generation to generation.”

“I’d always suspected it was something like that. I hope you paid attention to your lessons. I don’t want to use my stove unless I absolutely have to. Summer or winter.”

“Spoken like a truly modern woman. Personally, I’ve found I like to cook. It’s kind of a challenge.”

“You’re joking.”

“No. Not at all.” Bending over, he stuck his head and shoulders inside the van and continued to brush crystalline shards into the dustpan. “For instance, Justin and I love Mexican food. Around here, if you want a decent meal like that, you have to make it yourself.”

“Boy, no kidding. I haven’t had a good chili relleno since I left—” The color drained from her face.

Zac glanced up from his task. “Since you left where? Sorry. I didn’t catch everything you just said.”

Another close call! What was the matter with her? “Never mind. I was just rambling.” All Tina wanted at that moment was to get away from him and restore her waning composure. “If you don’t mind, I think Justin and I will go dig around in my freezer for something good to eat.” She pushed aside her anxiety to smile down at the child.

“I’ll come with you,” Zac told her, straightening. “I’ve done about all I can with this broom. After dinner, maybe I can borrow your vacuum to finish the job.”

“Sure. Always willing to be neighborly. Especially since the mess is my fault.”

Feigning nonchalance, she led the way across the adjoining lawns to her house. On the outside she was calm. Inside, her thoughts whirled madly. What had lowered her defenses and loosened her tongue? It had been over a year since she’d moved to Serenity and gone to work for Mavis, yet until recently she’d never mentioned anything that might accidentally lead someone to discover her secret shame. Now, all of a sudden, she was turning into a regular fountain of information. Why in the world was that happening?

Tina felt her pulse pound in her temples. When she’d first come to Serenity, she’d purposely adopted a new last name, a simple, traditional persona; kept to herself and had never so much as jaywalked, for fear of exposure. Her current life was an open book: Tina Braddock, volume two.

It was volume one she didn’t want anyone to know about.

Justin lost interest in the adults as soon as he met Zorro, Tina’s eccentric black-and-white cat. Its body was too long in proportion to its legs, it had the distinctive yowl of a Siamese and its favorite game was hide-and-seek. The game was in full swing on and around the back porch by the time Zac had the barbecue fire going.

“That animal is crazy.” Scowling, he watched the outlandish cat hide behind the crossed legs of a picnic table and pounce on Justin’s shoes as soon as the boy got close enough. “You’re sure he’s not dangerous?”

“Positive. I’ve even taken him to the preschool with me to show the children. He’s never laid a paw on any of them.”

“How about his claws?”

“He doesn’t have any front ones.” Tina took note of Zac’s look of disapproval. “I didn’t have his claws removed, if that’s what you’re thinking. It had already been done when I adopted him.”

“You didn’t get him as a kitten?” Listening, he leaned down to blow more air on the fire.

“No. He used to belong to one of the Whitaker sisters. When they sold their property they were desperate to find homes for Miss Prudence’s cats, so I said I’d take one.”

Zac arched an eyebrow as he watched the cat-versus-boy game progressing. “You picked him?”

“Not exactly,” Tina said. “Zorro was the only one they had left by the time I got there. I took him because I felt sorry for him. If I’d known what a character he was, I’d have chosen him, anyway. They told me he got his name because he always zigzagged when he ran.” She placed a finger in front of her lips. “Look. He’s hiding under the wicker chair. See his tail twitching out the back? Watch what he does when I sit down there.”

Justin raced by. Zac reached out to slow his progress. “Miss Tina wants us to watch something. Over there—” He crouched down beside the boy and pointed.

Still barefoot, Tina sauntered up to the chair, carefully sat down and began to swing her feet. In seconds the mischievous feline launched his attack. Wrapping his forelegs around her ankle, he pretended to bite it while his hind feet raked at her defenseless foot. If Zac hadn’t seen her giggling, he’d have been certain she was being hurt.

She bent over and began to tickle the cat’s tummy. It leaped to its feet and sprinted off in a blur of black and white, followed by the little boy.

“Zorro can dish it out but he can’t take it,” Tina remarked, grinning. “He loves to play that game. Especially when I act like I don’t know he’s there. I think he’s a frustrated predator. I suppose all indoor cats are.”

“Indoor? Uh-oh. You should have said something when Justin let him out. I never thought about it being a problem, or I’d have stopped him.”

“It’s fine as long as I’m here,” Tina assured him. “Without his front claws, Zorro would be helpless if he had to defend himself, though. He acts ferocious but he’s really a marshmallow.” Her smile broadened. “Hey! That reminds me. I think I have a bag of marshmallows in the pantry. Want to roast them for dessert?”

Justin’s loud “Yeah!” startled the cat and sent him on another wild lap over and under the raised wooden porch. On the final pass he disappeared into the shadowy recesses beneath the steps.

“Speaking as a guidance counselor,” Zac gibed, “it’s my professional opinion that your cat is severely disturbed.”

“Oh? What treatment would you recommend? Do you want to sit down with him and ask him about his early years?”

“If he were a person, that’s exactly what I’d do. You’d be amazed at the stories I’ve heard since I got my degree and started working with teens. It’s appalling.”

Turning away, Tina busied herself smoothing a fresh plastic cloth over the picnic table. Appalling was only the beginning. Given her experience with her younger brother, Craig, she could have added unbelievable, and terrifying, and life-shattering. Especially life-shattering.

The only good thing to come out of the situation with Craig was his eventual rehabilitation. Seeing him settled down with a wife, son and new baby almost made it all worthwhile. Almost.

If she had it to do over again, however, Tina knew she’d find some other way to help him. And she’d never tell a lie. Not one. Not even if her honesty meant her unmanageable sibling might have to suffer.

Justin ran out of steam right after they ate. Five minutes of whining were followed by blissful silence, when he curled up in the big wicker chair and dozed off.

“I’ve always preferred dogs, myself,” Zac said, “but I think I may need to borrow your crazy cat from time to time. My son hasn’t gone to sleep that easily for longer than I can remember.”

“You could always get him a puppy, you know. Your new yard is already fenced to keep it home.” Tina scanned the yard and porch. “Poor Zorro. I’ll bet he’s crawled off for a catnap. Chances are, he’s exhausted, too.”

“It wore me out just watching them play.”

“I know what you mean. Me, too.” She stood and began to gather up the dishes, surprised when Zac picked up his plate and rose to help her. She waved him off. “I can do this. Sit down. You’re my guest.”

“I’d rather help.”

He sounded so sincere, she gave in. “Okay. Make a stack on the end of the kitchen counter, just inside the door. That way you’ll be in sight if Justin stirs.”

Complying, Zac watched her carry the uneaten food past him and put it in the refrigerator. He sighed and spoke softly. “I’m at my wits’ end with that kid. I’d hoped that a change of scenery would stop his panic attacks.”

“Instead of a dog, maybe he needs more family in his life so he doesn’t concentrate solely on you. Aren’t there any female relatives you could ask for help?”

“Oh, sure,” he said cynically. “Kim—my wife—came from a big family. All three of her sisters dote on Justin.”

“Well, then…?”

“No way.” Zac was shaking his head. “They hate me. If I give them the chance to fill Justin’s head with their unfair opinions, he might wind up hating me, too. At the very least, he’d be more confused than he already is.”

Tina couldn’t imagine anyone disliking a man like Zac. Even though he was clumsy at expressing affection, he clearly loved his son. Pensive, she led the way back outside and started to fold up the plastic tablecloth. “You really believe they’d do that?”

“In a heartbeat.” His voice deepened. “They blame me for Kim’s death.”

Hoping he’d explain further, Tina hugged the folded cloth to her chest and waited quietly. She knew better than to question him on such a touchy subject, even though her curiosity was aroused. Once they officially became neighbors, perhaps he’d volunteer more information. If not, she’d just have to respect his privacy.

Finally, she broke down and asked, “What about your side of the family? Brothers? Sisters?”

Zac snorted with derision. “I was an only child. My parents live in a retirement community down in Florida. Justin and I detoured to visit them on our way here. Talk about a disaster. All my mother did when he got upset was wring her hands and cry right along with him.” A wry smile lifted one corner of Zac’s mouth. “It was quite a chorus. You should have seen the look on my dad’s face.”

“I’ll bet.”

Stuffing his hands into his pockets he began, “I’ve been thinking. Maybe…”

Tina intuitively finished his sentence. “You thought maybe I’d volunteer?”

“I suppose that’s too much to ask.”

“No. Not at all.”

Tina had to struggle to keep from laughing at the smooth way the Lord had handled a potentially awkward situation. While she’d been needlessly fretting about how she was going to worm her way into the little boy’s life without having her innocent motives misunderstood, God was setting the whole thing up. What a kick. Everything was turning out exactly as she’d planned, yet Zac Frazier thought the whole idea was his!

Chapter Four

Zac had offered to paint the interior of the house as soon as it was vacant because he wanted to expedite his tenancy. However, he’d had no idea how hard the job would be, especially with Justin underfoot every second.

By the time he’d finished putting one coat of paint on the master bedroom, there were already tiny sneaker prints of the same pale beige color up and down the hall.

Tina found the little boy sitting on the steps of his new front porch, barefoot. She joined him. “Hi, honey.”

Justin cast her a forlorn look.

“Uh-oh,” she said, smiling tenderly. “What’s wrong?”

“Daddy’s mad at me.”

Tina drew up her knees and hugged them. “Are you sure?”

“Uh-huh. He hollered at me.”

“My, that sounds serious. Why do you suppose he got so upset?”

“’Cause of that dumb old paint.”

“What did the paint do?”

“It stuck to my shoes and got itself all over the rug.”

“That was bad,” she said, working hard to sound serious when what she wanted to do was laugh out loud at his childish logic. “Is that why you’re sitting on the porch?”

The boy nodded. “Daddy took my shoes off and told me to stay right here.” His voice quieted. “Dumb old paint.”

“I’m pretty good with a brush. Do you suppose your daddy would like me to help him?” she asked, getting to her feet and smoothing her shorts as she spoke. “Maybe I should go see.”

“Okay,” Justin said with a sage expression, “’cept he might yell at you, too.”

Tina slipped off her sandals by the front door. “I hope not, but just in case, I’ll leave my shoes out here. That way I’ll feel it if I accidentally step in any spilled paint, and I won’t track it all over the place.”

Leaving the unhappy child to mull over her common sense approach, she let herself in and called, “Yoo-hoo. Anybody home?”

“In here. Down the hall,” he answered gruffly. “Watch your step. The carpet’s wet.”

She edged past the obviously damp portions and paused at the bedroom door. Zac had carefully covered the carpeting in that room with plastic sheeting, taped down at the edges. It was easy to see that Justin had tracked through every drop of paint he could find on the plastic, then headed for the hallway. His footprints stopped where the wet carpeting began.

Tina giggled. “I see your son was helping you paint this morning.”

“Helping me lose my mind, you mean.” He made a sour face. “It’s not funny.”

“Oh, I don’t know. It proves what I’ve always heard. You catch insanity from your children.” Taking in the room and its occupant, she shook her head and grinned. Zac had paint smeared on his shorts and tank top, plus splatters on nearly every inch of exposed skin. “Are you trying to paint the walls or decorate yourself?”

He was obviously in no mood for her sarcasm. One eyebrow arched as he stared back at her. “What does it look like?”

“Truthfully? It looks like you aren’t sure. You’ve got paint in your hair and beige freckles all over your face and arms, among other things.”

“That’s probably gray you see in my hair, thanks to Justin,” Zac countered. “So far, I’ve spent more time cleaning up after that kid than I have slinging paint at these four walls.”

“So that’s your problem,” Tina gibed. “Well, no wonder. You’re supposed to roll it on, not sling it.”

“I’m glad somebody is amused.”

“I certainly am.” Laughing lightly, she waited for his expression to soften. It finally did. “That’s better. Now, tell me. Would you rather I took Justin home with me to get him out of your rapidly graying hair, or pitched in and helped you paint this place?”

“I don’t suppose there’s any way you can do both, is there?”

“I’m good, but I’m not that good. Tell you what. I’ll go change into some old clothes and bring Zorro back with me when I come. That way you’ll have a painting partner and Justin will have something to occupy him while we finish up in here. How’s that sound?”

“Like heaven,” Zac said with a sigh. “I’m not real good at painting houses.”

“Noooo,” she mocked. “Do tell.”

One corner of his mouth twitched in a wry smile, and he hefted the paint roller by its handle, as if testing it for weight and balance. “You’re lucky you already volunteered to help me, Miss Tina. If you hadn’t, I might be tempted to do something rash.”

She quickly ducked around the doorjamb and peeked out from behind it, eyes sparkling with mischief. “You do, and I’ll turn you purple the way you threatened to do to poor, innocent little Tommy.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Zac shot back.

Tina laughed and shook her head. “Oh, no, you wouldn’t. Trust me. You’d lose.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. But right now, I think we’d better concentrate on getting your house painted. Are you planning on doing the other bedrooms, too?”

“That’s what the landlord said he wants, and he bought the paint, so I guess the answer is yes. Since I was stupid enough to offer in the first place, I’m stuck doing things his way.”

“Okay. Go tape the plastic down in the other rooms and get them ready. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Zac snorted derisively. “Do you always jump in with both feet and start giving orders?”

“Only when it’s obvious I’m dealing with somebody whose expertise is sorely lacking in an area where I shine. You have a choice. You can either listen to my good advice or struggle through this project the hard way. Alone.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” he asked.

“Both.” Wheeling, she flounced off down the hall.

Zac watched his charming neighbor go, then stood motionless for a few moments more after she was out of sight. He didn’t realize how much her presence had distracted him until he looked down at the roller in his hand. Paint had pooled in the lowest point of the cylinder and was falling in a thin stream, making squiggle lines all over the tops of his running shoes.

Tina wasted no time returning, as promised. She found Zac crawling around on his hands and knees, securing the protective plastic sheet in the smaller bedroom.

“You don’t need to mask those baseboards,” she told him, pausing in the doorway. “I have a very steady hand.”

“I’m glad one of us does.” He looked up. “Did you check on Justin when you went outside?”

Tina nodded. “He’s fine. He and Zorro are playing cat-and-mouse. Justin’s the mouse.”

“That’s typecasting, for sure. The kid loves cheese.”

“And Zorro’s already a cat, so he’s a natural, too,” Tina added, playing along. “Did you finish the master bedroom, or do I need to go back and touch it up for you?”

“It’s done. At least, I think it is. I had to stop to scrub footprints off the carpeting in the hall, and by the time I got back the fresh paint was so dry it was hard to tell where I’d left off. You might want to see if I missed any spots.”

“Okay. Back in a flash.”

Zac straightened and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. That woman was a wonder. Nothing seemed to faze her. Didn’t she ever get grumpy? One thing was for sure, she always managed to look good, no matter how she was dressed. When she’d first come over she’d been wearing a turquoise shirt and shorts that had set off the greenish tint of her eyes. This time, although she’d donned tattered denim shorts and tied the tails of an old blouse at her waist, she still looked appealing.

Face it, Frazier, he told himself. Like it or not, you have a pretty neighbor.