Small-Town Mom (21 page)

She made it sound like it was almost a done deal.
“Anne and Neal and Emily and Drew are going. Neal’s folks are watching the kids. They’d probably watch Rose and Opal, too.”

Jamie pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow.

He was pushing too hard. Much as he wished it different, he understood that she might be uncomfortable going to a function at church. Lately, he’d been praying that Jamie would see her way back to the fellowship that Community Church had to give her.

“I’ll let you know by next Friday.”

“Great.” He leaned back in the seat and stifled an impulse to whistle one of Resurrection Light’s songs.

* * *

Over the next few days, Eli’s invitation was never far from her mind, especially last Sunday when she’d driven Myles to confirmation class. She’d dropped him at the door. Several people she’d been close with at church waved as they made their way in for adult Sunday school. The waves triggered the vacant feeling she’d had the other Sundays she’d dropped Myles off for his class. If she came to the concert with Eli, would the void fill or would it grow larger?

Jamie cleared the thoughts of church and the concert from her mind as best she could. She had other things to think about right now, namely Career Day. She had to be at the school to set up in twenty minutes. The positive response Becca had gotten from the Scouts, 4-H and other local youth organizations about participating in Career Day had neutralized much of Jamie’s opposition to the American Legion youth activities being represented.

When Jamie entered the school, she headed right for the main office to sign in.

“Hi. You’re here for Career Day, right?” Thelma Woods motioned Jamie to the sign-in clipboard. “Mr. Payton has sure put together a good program this year.”

Jamie signed in and tried not to be irritated by Thelma’s use of the formal Mr. Payton, when they both called him Eli, not to mention her discounting Becca’s part as committee chairperson in organizing the program and everyone else’s work. Jamie picked up the box of literature about the Medical Center that she’d placed on the counter. But that was Thelma’s way, and Jamie couldn’t argue with her admiration of Eli. Jamie was becoming a fan herself.

Stopping in the doorway to the gym, Jamie glanced around at the people setting up booths. Becca waved to her from the middle of the room. “You’re over here,” she called.

Jamie lugged her box over. “Looks good.” She swept her arm around the room at the tables with their attractive banners, halting at the Armed Forces table where Eli was talking with the uniformed representatives. The animation on his face and in his motions spoke to his belief in the opportunities he thought the service offered. The same belief John had had and she’d once supported.

“Eli’s certainly in his element,” Becca said.

“Yes, he is.” Jamie bit her lip, remembering Myles’s threat a few weeks ago to enlist as soon he graduated. If only she could do something to prevent Eli’s improved relationship with Myles from unknowingly drawing her son into that element. “I’d better set up. Autumn should be here anytime. She’s bringing some educational posters and models and information we have at the office, along with a presentation on her laptop that we put together.”

“Sounds good. Anything that gets the kids’ attention.”

“And I hope it’s okay that Autumn talked one of the emergency medical technicians into stopping by later this morning for a while.”

“That’s great,” Becca said. “There’s Anne and Neal. I need to show them where to set up.”

Jamie turned and waved to her friend and her friend’s husband.

“Need any help?” Eli had slipped over beside her while she was waving hello to Anne and Neal.

“Hi, you startled me. All I need to do is put out this literature.” She touched the box on the table. “Autumn is bringing the rest of our stuff.”

“Then we should make quick work of it. I have some people I’d like to introduce you to.”

Jamie dropped her hand to her side. The recruiters. “I don’t…” The eager look on Eli’s face halted her rebuff. The recruiters were his people. She relented. “Sure.”

They quickly organized the table and Eli walked her to the Armed Forces display. “Jamie, this is Lieutenant Second Class Rodney Smith.” He introduced her to the Navy representative. “Staff Sergeant Meghan Harrison. And Master Sergeant Jeffrey Kraus from my Air Guard base. Jamie Glasser.”

“Ma’am.” Lieutenant Smith nodded. “The Lieutenant Colonel told us about your husband. Our condolences.”

“We’ve lost a lot of good people over there,” Sergeant Harrison added. Master Sergeant Kraus nodded in agreement.

“Thank you.” Jamie braced for the stab of pain that had followed any sympathy offered by her friends and coworkers. She felt a pang of sadness, but no stab. Maybe she was finally moving on as so many people had told her would happen, though she’d refused to believe them.

“Ma’am,” Sergeant Harrison said. “The Lieutenant Colonel said you’re a nurse. Did you serve?”

“No, I manned the home front. We—I have three children.”

“You’ll probably meet her son here later,” Eli said.

“He’s planning to follow in his father’s footsteps?” Lieutenant Smith asked.

The man’s question brought the stab she hadn’t felt earlier. “I hope not. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back and help my colleague finish setting up our booth.” She spun around and strode back toward the Medical Center display table.

Eli caught up with her halfway there.

“Jamie.” He touched her shoulder.

“Why?” The word was barely more than a whisper.

“Because I’m an idiot? They’re comrades. I wanted them to meet you. The mention of Myles just came out.” He breathed in and released the breath through his nose. “I seem to have a talent for saying the wrong things around you.”

Through the red haze of her pain, Jamie could see that Eli’s words were an admission for him, that on some level she rattled the seemingly unshakable Lieutenant Colonel. “Yes, you are good at it. Possibly the best I’ve seen.”

“I could attempt to be worse at it.”

“That might be a worthwhile endeavor.”

“I’ll stop by later and put my efforts to the test.” With that, Eli walked away toward Anne and Neal’s display.

“What went on there?” Autumn asked when Jamie reached their table.

“Eli put his foot in his mouth again.”

“Men have a way of doing that. My dad is an expert. Ask Anne.”

“She’s told me.” Jamie recalled some of the insensitive statements Neal had made during his and Anne’s courtship. Eli’s weren’t any worse.

Five hours later, the last of the students filed out of the gym. As Jamie and Autumn took down their display, Jamie looked around for Eli. She’d half expected, no, hoped he’d stop by at lunchtime to join her and Anne and Neal, but he hadn’t. She didn’t see him in the gym now, either.

“That does it,” Autumn said, closing her laptop. “I think it was a pretty successful day, don’t you?”

“Hmm?” Jamie focused on what she thought Autumn had said. “Some of the kids seemed really interested in medical careers and asked good questions. Others, not so much, like the three girls who were seeing who could pick up information from each of the displays first.”

“Yes,” Autumn agreed, “one of them got hung up at the recruiters’ booth. Can’t blame her. The Navy guy is kind of cute, although far too old for her.”

Jamie looked over at the table where the recruiters were taking down their display. “Second Lieutenant Rodney Smith.” She gave the man a fast once-over. He was sort of attractive. She hadn’t noticed when Eli had introduced them.

“You know him? I saw you and Eli talking with him when I came in.”

“Eli introduced us.”

“Want to introduce me?” Autumn grinned. “There aren’t many new men around here for me to meet.”

After the abrupt ending she’d put to her earlier conversation with the man, Jamie wasn’t sure she wanted to face him again.

“Jamie. I’m glad I caught you.” Becca approached her and Autumn. “Eli would like you to wait for him.”

Jamie ignored Autumn’s raised eyebrow.

“He got delayed in a meeting with the parents of one of my homeroom students.”

“I suppose I can. I’ll have to text Myles and let him know I may get home after he and the girls do.” Jamie texted him and got an immediate “K.”

“He said he’d be down as soon as he finishes. Or now,” Becca said when Eli appeared in the doorway. “I’ve got to run. Brendon’s kindergarten teacher is keeping him and I don’t want to hold her up.”

“See you. Do you still want that introduction?” Jamie asked Autumn. “I’m sure Eli would be glad to.”

“Did I hear my name?” Eli smiled at her and then over at Autumn as if as an afterthought.

“Yes, I told Autumn you’d be happy to introduce her to Lieutenant Smith.”

“No.” Autumn waved them off. “I think I’ll go introduce myself and leave you to do whatever you have planned.”

“We don’t have anything—” Autumn stopped Jamie with a pointed look at Eli.

“Mention your dad,” Eli said. “I think Rodney knows him from the American Legion.”

Autumn gave him a thumbs-up and made a beeline for the recruiter table.

Eli sat on the edge of the table. “So, how do you think it went?”

“Good.” He’d wanted her to stay to make small talk?

“If you’re free, I thought we could stop and have coffee before you have to get home. When I talked with Myles earlier, he was good with watching Rose and Opal.”

No wonder Myles was so agreeable when she’d texted him. She put her hands on her hips and attempted a stern look. “You guys set me up.”

“Yes, we did.” He pushed off the table and picked up the box she’d packed. “Now, get a move on it. I’ve only bought his time for an hour and a half.”

“You paid Myles?”

“I told him I’d order his favorite pizza for you to bring home with you. He said no one likes his cooking.”

“More like Opal The Vocal doesn’t like his cooking. I assume you’re joining us for pizza.” Apparently, he had her whole evening planned. Not that she minded.

“No, sorry. Mom called and asked me to stop by and reprogram her DVR on my way to the Singles Plus meeting. I’m in charge tonight, so I have to be there. I’m sure Mom will have made dinner for me.”

“Oh, okay.” A feeling of disappointment and longing tugged at her. She certainly wouldn’t mind spending the evening with Eli, and she used to really enjoy the Singles Plus group.

Eli helped her finish packing up the display and carried her things out to her car. She followed him in her car to the pizzeria. Eli ordered the pizza, and they took their coffee to a table in the back away from the busy takeout counter to wait out the half hour the person who took his order said it would take to be ready.

Jamie peered at him over her mug. “Can I ask you a question about Myles?”

Eli placed his coffee on the table and wrapped his hands around the mug. “Sure.”

“Has he ever said anything to you, as his guidance counselor, about a medical career?”

“No, why?”

“I expected him to stay glued to the recruiters’ display the whole time his class was in the gym. He stopped by it but spent most of his time talking to the emergency medical technician Autumn lined up to join us. The EMT told me Myles took a brochure on EMT and paramedic training. Now that’s a uniform I could breathe easier seeing him wear.”

Eli picked up his mug and took a long draw of coffee. “You can only protect him so much. He’s going to grow up and make his own choices.”

Jamie sighed. “I know. Just as long as he doesn’t do it too fast, so I have time to guide him toward making the right choices.”
And not some of the choices his father and I made,
she added to herself.

“He’ll do okay,” Eli reassured her. “Myles has a good head on his shoulders when he chooses to use it. You’ve done a good job with him, and Rose and Opal, too.”

“Thanks. It hasn’t always been easy.”

“I don’t think parenting ever is. And you’ve done most of it alone.”

Jamie worked a muscle in her jaw.

“I don’t mean any offense. Military families have special challenges, with the potential for one or both parents to be deployed at any time.”

“We thought we knew what we were getting into. But we were so young, and Myles came along sooner than we’d planned. John was away so much.”
And then he was gone.

Eli nodded. “I saw the stress some of my married friends and their families were under. I decided early in my career that I wouldn’t put a kid through that, wouldn’t have children while I was in the service.” His voice dropped. “My fiancee disagreed.”

Jamie sympathized with him, but she disagreed, too. “I wouldn’t give up having my kids for anything. They’re all I have now of John.”

Eli’s lips curved into a sad smile.

She hadn’t meant to sound maudlin or have Eli feel sorry for her. It was simply a fact of her life. “Speaking of my kids, I’d better get home to them while the house is still standing.” Jamie looked up at the clock on the wall. “With my twenty-minute drive, I should make it home in just under your paid-for time. I’d hate to be responsible for Myles charging you time-and-a-half overtime.” Jamie’s attempt to put a lighter tone on the conversation fell flat.

“I’ll get the pizza.” He settled up and walked her to her car.

Jamie unlocked the door and got in. He handed her the pizza, resting his hand on the top corner of the door while she placed the box on the passenger seat. He was still holding the door when she reached to pull it shut.

“Have you decided?” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “About the concert?”

His hesitation made him appear almost boyish. She looked up at the figure looming beside her vehicle. But Eli Payton was all man. A man who appealed to her in so many ways—his strength, his way with her kids, his generosity. Still, her feelings about the military were at odds with his. Even though he was retired from active duty, it remained a part of his life through his involvement with the Air Guard and the American Legion. And she couldn’t see Eli being happy with a woman who didn’t share his strong faith, especially one who once had. She’d be wise to cool their friendship now while she was still thinking with her head and not her heart.