Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies (An Adams Grove Novel) (5 page)

It only took a few minutes to change out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a shirt. She swept her hair back in a ponytail, and then knocked on Jake’s door on her way to the kitchen. “Rise and shine. It’s time to get ready.”

Before she could get two steps down the hall he raced through the half-open door, but it wasn’t her little
sleepyheaded boy who walked out. Instead, Jake was dressed in the outfit they’d laid out last night for his first day of school and even had his backpack on. He’d slicked his hair into a severe side part. “I’m ready!”

“My goodness. I see.” She tried not to laugh, but he was so darn adorable with that hairdo and his shoelaces tied in big loopy bows it was hard. “We’ve still got lots of time. Come on, let’s eat some breakfast.”

He followed her into the kitchen with his thumbs under the straps of the backpack. He climbed up into one of the kitchen chairs. The awkward backpack made him lurch forward.

I guess it won’t kill me to let him slump one morning.
She wished now that she’d planned a special breakfast for him, but then stressing her kid out with the smoke alarm the first day of school wouldn’t be the best start. She grabbed the box of cereal from the cabinet and placed it on the table in front of him.

“Can I use the Redskins bowl?”

“Sure, baby.” She slid Nick’s favorite bowl in front of him, and he poured the cereal to cover the bottom. She topped it off with milk, then poured herself a cup of coffee and Jake a small glass of juice.

He chomped on his cereal and stared at the side of the box. “I can read almost all of this.”

“I know. You’re going to learn lots of new stuff in school too.”

“What if I don’t?” He looked worried for the first time.

“You will. It’ll be fun.”

He took another bite and then looked up at the clock. “When do we have to leave?”

“We have plenty of time. You take your time eating. I’m going to go get ready.” She left Jake eating to put on a little makeup in case she bumped into any of the teachers or parents. Then she went into her office and picked up her camera case. She glanced at the family portrait of them that sat on her desk.
I wish you were here this morning, Nick.

When she walked back into the kitchen Jake had just finished his cereal and Shutterbug was lapping up the leftover milk from the bowl.

“I think Shutterbug is going to miss me a lot when I’m in school.”

Not nearly as much as me, little man.
“I’m sure she will, but she’ll be so excited and ready to play every day when you get home.”

“You’re a good girl,” he said to the dog and looked back at Kasey. “Are you taking our picture?”

“Of course.”

Jake put his arm around Shutterbug and posed.
What have I done to my child? I guess it’s the occupational hazard of children of photographers that they know how to strike a pose.
She snapped a few pictures of them together. “Grab your lunch box and let’s take a couple out front.”

Jake raced to the counter to grab his Spider-Man lunch box.

Kasey put Shutterbug out back, grabbed her keys and purse, and locked up the house.

“Can you take all your pictures here so no one sees you taking them at school, Mom?”

Her heart dropped. It was the first time he’d ever said something like that. Her little man was growing up. “Deal.”

Just as they got to the end of Nickel Creek Road, they pulled up behind a school bus. Kasey hoped Jake didn’t realize he could be on that bus. If he did, he didn’t mention it, but they followed the bus all the way to school.

She parked the car in the visitor parking lot. “I’m going to walk you in today. Is that okay?”

“Yep.”

They got out of the car and walked hand in hand up the sidewalk to the school. The crossing guard stopped and said hello and explained there were always “helpers” with blue tags on in the bus lanes to be sure the children got to their rooms safely and on time.
That makes me feel better.

Jake hadn’t said a word. Although he’d been excited, she could tell he was a little nervous too. Or maybe he was just nervous because she was.

Kasey walked Jake to Miss Roane’s kindergarten class. Bright colors decorated the bulletin boards and rosy-cheeked faces already filled over half of the desks in the room. Other parents and their children lined the hallway.

“I can go by myself, Mom.”

Miss Roane met them at the door and gave Kasey a wink.

Kasey bent down to whisper to Jake. “I’ll meet you out front at the end of the day.”

“Okay.” He turned to walk away and she thought she might collapse right there. He looked so grown up.

Then he stopped, turned, and came back to the door. He motioned for her to stoop down again. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too,” she whispered into his ear, and then gave him a secret kiss in his hand. He still held it balled in a fist as she watched Miss Roane settle him into a desk.

She stepped out of the way of other parents going through the same routine. It was easy to tell which were sending their first children to school—they looked like she felt.
Like we’re hanging on to our last thread of sanity.
She hugged her arms around herself and tried not to totally lose it in the hallway. Morning kindergarten was only eight thirty to eleven forty but she had a feeling the next few hours were going to be the longest she’d survived in a long, long time.

As she drove, even the radio couldn’t snap her out of the crying jag. There was a storm heading their way. She’d hated hurricanes ever since Hurricane Ernesto swept in the day after Nick’s accident. She’d never felt as helpless as when that storm had forced them to stop searching for Jake. Her palms felt sweaty on the steering wheel just thinking about it.

When she turned into the driveway, it wasn’t even nine o’clock. She puttered around the kitchen, unsure of what to do and not having the focus to do anything anyway. She nuked a cup of coffee and sat on the couch staring at the photo of Nick and Jake over the fireplace.

When the phone rang, it startled her, causing her to spill the coffee she’d yet to sip. She swept at the droplets on her jeans as she glanced at the screen on her phone. Cody Tuggle? “Hey, there. What a nice surprise.”

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure. Great.”

“Sounds like you’ve been crying.”

Of course, you can tell
. Cody had come into her life in the most unexpected way, but at the perfect time. He’d been there through the many tears over some of the worst moments of her life—right after that accident took Nick from her. She could probably fool anyone except for him. “I’m sorry you know me so well that you can tell that.”

“Don’t be. I’m glad I was there for you.”

“You were my anchor in the storm. If it hadn’t been for you… for that tour…”

“It was good for me too. I got great photographs and a hit song out of it.”

She started to say she was fine, but something about him made her open up. “Jake started kindergarten today. I’m a little emotional.”

“Oh. I’ve heard that’s hard for moms… the first day of school, I mean.”

“It is, but then I’m still having trouble leaving him at all after everything.”

“Kasey, you should talk to someone about that. People just aren’t meant to have to deal with things like what you went through without help.”

“No. It’s fine. I know in my head that we’re safe here. Adams Grove is a wonderful community. I’ll be okay.”

“Of course you will. You’re one of the toughest gals I’ve met. How’s Jake?”

“You should have seen him this morning. He looked so cute with his little lunch box for his snack, and his backpack on. He was so excited.”

“But?”

“But… I’m a mess. I’ve been sitting here crying and staring at the clock, and he hasn’t even been gone an hour.
Plus, I didn’t tell him there was a bus. I let him believe it was for the big kids, so I could take him. I’m going to turn him into a neurotic wreck or a momma’s boy.”

“No you won’t. Besides, he’s only five. We’re all momma’s boys at five.”

“I sure hope you’re right.”

His laughter filled the air in a comforting way.

“I think I might still be one,” Cody said.

She could picture his smile, and that slight dimple on his left cheek. “I somehow find that hard to believe, but I appreciate the laugh.”

“Hell, I’m the last person who should be giving advice about kids. I don’t have any, but then I’ve been accused of still being one. That should count for something, right?”

“For sure.” Kasey pulled her knees up onto the chair. “And I know firsthand that you’re still a boy at heart.”

“Well, it’ll turn out fine. Trusting things are going to go the way you want them to without intervening is hard as hell though. I’ve never been good at that, so I know how you feel.”

“It’s torture. But let’s talk about something fun. How’s the tour going?”

“Great. We’ve sold out in almost every city. Really good shows. All work and all play. Just the way I like it.”

“I know.” She remembered how much fun they’d had on the road. When she photographed the tour it had been a whirlwind. It was so fast-paced, she didn’t even have time to be exhausted, but as hard as they worked, they did have a good time. It was like spending every day at a family reunion. “Are you playing tonight?”

“We’re playing West Virginia tonight, then down to Virginia Beach.”

“I know. By the time I tried to buy a ticket it was sold out.”

“Don’t you ever buy a ticket to one of my shows. I’ll put your name on the list.”

“Don’t be silly. You don’t have to do that.”

“I’d love to see you. If you’ll make the drive down it’s the least I can do, but I still want you to come see me backstage. I’ll leave a backstage pass for you at the will-call window.”

“Thanks. It’ll be good to see you. Sounds like you’re busy as heck.”

“It’s all good. Once we’re on a roll it all feels good. The pace won’t hit us until we slow down. Honestly, all those little breaks they try to work in sometimes make the tour harder.”

“I understand. I’m the same way when I’m on a shoot. If I keep going I can work for hours, but when I have those clients who need a ton of breaks, it’s just exhausting.”

“Yeah. Just like that,” he said. “By the way, I was just watching the Weather Channel—”

“Of course you were. It’s your favorite channel. You got me hooked on it last year.”

“Oh, sorry about that, but this storm, it looks like it could be an issue down there.”

“Not here, but on the coast, yes. I’m pretty far inland. We shouldn’t get much of anything but some rain out this way.”

“That’s good. Hey, you can say no, but since we’d be coming through that way… well… would you mind if we stopped by after the concert? Is there somewhere nearby
we could park it a couple days before we head down to Texas?”

“Here? In Adams Grove?”

“Yes. It’s right there where we pick up I-95.”

Without a second of hesitation she answered. “Yes. I know the perfect place.”

“Cool. Where?”

“Right here. I can be your rest stop.”

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? It would be great to see everyone. I’d love it. Wait until you see Shutterbug… she’s huge. And Jake. He’s growing like a weed.”

Cody paused. “Kasey. It would be really good to see you.”

“I know.” She sucked in a breath. “It would be good to see you too. I can’t wait.”

She hung up the phone and pulled her hands to her face. She’d been looking forward to the concert, but him coming here had left her feeling as anxious as a high school girl vying for prom queen. Cody Tuggle didn’t call often, but somehow he had a knack for calling just when she needed it the most.

C
ody had slept hard after the concert in West Virginia, but this morning was already busy with new challenges. He walked up to the front of the bus and sat down next to Pete.

Pete looked up from the book he was reading. “What’s up?”

“I got a message that we have to reschedule the Virginia Beach show.” Cody drummed his fingers on the table as he looked out the window of the bus. The sky was a perfect blue here, but the coast was getting one pile driver of a storm. That wasn’t all bad though. It meant they could chill out an extra day in Adams Grove. It had been good hearing Kasey’s voice.

Cody turned toward Pete. “I’d told Kasey we might stop in Adams Grove after the concert for a couple days. I know you wanted to head up to see your folks. I thought it would be a good central point.”

“Yeah, it would.” Pete snickered.

“What?”

“You. That’s what. You’ve got a silly-ass grin on your face just talking about her.”

“I do not.” Cody moved from the table to the couch.
“Quit looking at me like that.” He picked up one of the pillows and hurled it across the space.

“Whatever, man.” Pete leaned to the side to dodge the airborne pillow. “How long have I known you? I know that look.”

“Don’t get started.” Cody got up and walked toward the back of the bus.

“Where you going?”

“To call Kasey.”

Pete shrugged and held his hands up.

“Shut up.”