Unexpected Ride (5 page)

“I think it is time that I actually meet her.  I do not in any way proclaim to be Father of the Year but this isn’t about me.  It’s about Meredith.  She deserves to know the truth and be given an opportunity to make her own decisions about me.  Perhaps she will find it in her heart to forgive me for not being a better person and for my past mistakes.  Maybe she will
want
to get to know me.  Seeing her with this Charles Reynolds guy she’s pictured with, makes me think that maybe she’s more forgiving than you and your father ever were,” Jarrod replied, sounding as though he had been unfairly judged over the years.

She could already tell that this time was going to cost her something… the question was what or how much.  Thanks to a recent article in the local newspaper on Chuck’s upcoming art exhibit in New York, Jarrod must have seen it along with Meredith’s name and picture as well. 

Jarrod’s ability to sound so sincere, forthright and reformed was what scared her the most.  Meredith and Chuck both could very easily be taken advantage of by someone with Jarrod’s experience in con games, deception and theft.  After all she had fallen for it once upon a time and that made her long for Doug all the more.

The last time Carla had even seen Jarrod, her father and Doug had been there too and Jarrod had
promised
that they would never see or hear from him again.  Doug had threatened Jarrod that if he ever contacted Carla or
anyone
in their family other than himself, that there would be no more money…
ever
. 

She wasn’t even sure how often or how much money Doug had given Jarrod over the years… she hadn’t wanted to know how much her naiveté had cost them as a couple and a family.   Was that what this was about…
money?
  Her mind scrambled trying to think of how Doug would handle the situation if he were still alive.

When she didn’t respond quickly enough he said, “Just think about it Carla.  I’ve changed a lot since the last time you seen me.  I don’t want anything from you… money or whatever… in fact I hate that I ever agreed to just walk away from her.  I know now that no amount of money is worth sacrificing a relationship with your child.”  He sounded so sincere.

She felt pretty sure that Doug hadn’t paid any more money to him since Meredith became an adult and graduated high school so it could still be about money… but maybe he had
finally
turned his life around.  She had to be careful, for her sake and especially for Meredith’s sake.

“Do you want money?  Is that why you would call me now… after all these years?” she asked.

“No.  No more schemes for me, I swear it, Carla.  I have a job now… a good one.  I realize that nothing in life worth having comes easy or free.  I’m in the real estate business and even though the market is down right now, I’m doing pretty well.  I think I’ve finally found my calling… in fact I’m looking into buying an investment property,” he continued.  “It’s a foreclosure and I figure if I fix it up and rent it out for a few years and then sell it when the economy picks back up… I’ll have a nice little nest egg for retirement.  I just want to see her… just once.  I’m not as young as I used to be and I just want to see her and know she turned out okay, despite… everything.  She wouldn’t even have to know who I really am… you could tell her I’m a friend of Doug’s.  Please, Carla.”

“I need to think about it,” she finally replied.

“I understand, but can I at least call from time to time and check in on her… and you?” he asked. 

Jarrod’s unique way of asking permission to continue to call and harass her for an answer was a lot to take… especially now with her heart finally working through the fact that Doug was gone.  Unable or unwilling to give Jarrod permission she simply said, “I have to go…”

“I’ll call you in a few days… after the holiday weekend,” he finished.  “Happy Thanksgiving, Carla.”

As she slowly hung up the phone, she nearly jumped out of her skin when from directly behind her Greg said, “What was that all about?”

“Oh, you scared me…” she said, turning to look at him. 
How long had he been standing there?
  She felt a need to explain herself upon seeing the look on his face so she continued, “Oh nothing… telemarketer.”

She got the distinct impression he knew she was lying to him but he didn’t say anything.  He continued to stare at her for several moments until she moved away to start pulling out things from the refrigerator that needed to be finished up or baked for the Thanksgiving meal she was hosting. 

At least with so much to do to prepare for all the guests she wouldn’t be sitting around dwelling on Jarrod Tompkins and why he had called after all these years.

“Anything I can do to help?” Greg asked still eyeing her curiously.

“Maybe you could supervise the boys in setting the table.  Chuck normally does that but…” she paused upon seeing his frown, but then continued.  “Chuck did at least put all the extenders in the table so it should seat twelve and he and Meredith volunteered to sit with the kids at a separate table that is leaning against the wall in the dining room.  Table cloths are in the top drawer of the hutch and there are dishes and the good silverware in the bottom cabinet part.”

She felt a little relieved when, after staring at her for a few more moments, Greg finally turned and headed towards the dining room. 
He must be the one they sent in to interrogate the suspects because his serious expression made her want to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth… but she couldn’t… not about this.
 

After setting the oven to preheat and pulling out the list of things she needed to finish preparing, she was finally able to relax and focus on the day ahead. 

Meredith had asked her to host the group of bikers that she and Chuck worked with.  Their boss, Bobby Jackson, lived with his grandmother, Edna, who usually hosted the group but she was getting up there in years and her house was too small to hold them all.  Bobby and his wife Lilly were good people and since Lilly was pregnant it might have been a lot for them to take on anyways.  Carla also adored Edna whose wisdom and patience for the rowdy group was nothing short of incredible.

Bobby’s best friend Tommy McMurray and his fiancé, Dana Atkinson, would be coming with their two children, Gretchen and Melody.  Greg’s sister Becca Waters and her boyfriend Richard Long would also be joining them.  Carla had also invited her own father and Lilly’s sister, Sherri Simons, as well.  So all of them along with her own family, which included Chuck and Greg at the moment, would make seventeen people but Melody was an infant and wouldn’t need a place setting.  So between the dining table and the small card table Carla had, there would hopefully be enough places for everyone to sit and all the women would be bringing a covered dish which would also help.  It would be fun and she would enjoy the day and not worry about what Jarrod Tompkins may or may not be up to.

Once she managed to get the food ready and situated in the oven to stay warm, she went into the dining room to check Greg’s progress with setting the table and was shocked to find Matt and Ben huddled on either side of him.  One or perhaps all three of them had designed a football field in the middle of the table with knives, creating the entire playing field including each ten yard line. 

Her glass salt and pepper shakers were being used to indicate the goal posts at either end of the field and spoons were lined up as though players for one team while forks were lined up to indicate the players on the opposing team.  Greg was explaining the purpose of each player, pointing out the appropriate fork or spoon.

A stack of plates set on the hutch along with glasses and a pile of cloth napkins and rings.  The table was not set because it was currently being used for the
playoffs
.  She could tell her mouth was hanging open but no words were coming out.  Before she could
force
some sound out Meredith and Chuck came through the front door.  Chuck carried one dish in his hand while Meredith carried another one.  Upon seeing the state of the dining room table, Chuck handed off his dish to Carla and walked over to where Greg and the boys were.

“That is awesome!” Chuck exclaimed, eyeing the carefully constructed playing field.

  “Come on, Mom, it is best if we don’t stay to watch.  Gran will make them set the table when she gets here.  Remember… they are a little more laid back then say the Deharts were,” Meredith offered. 

Edna Jackson
was
usually pretty good at getting them all to do what she wanted.  Carla followed Meredith back to the kitchen still unable to close her mouth as she heard Greg and Chuck excitedly answering football questions for both Matt and Ben. 

It wasn’t until she had situated the food that Meredith and Chuck had brought and pulled her own stuff out of the oven that she realized…
no football!
  Marching back toward the dining room, Greg was saved from the tongue lashing she had ready for him by the arrival of the other guests.  It was hard to stay focused or angry when this group got together.  Unlike the friends she’d had when Doug had been alive, these people were loud, shockingly inappropriate at times, politically incorrect and
fun
…

The women plus Bobby all followed her into the kitchen with their side dishes since there was no place to set stuff on the table at the moment.  As soon as Bobby set the large roaster pan containing the turkey down on the counter he quickly made his way back to the dining room to watch the tabletop football game.  The rest of the guys could be heard joining in on the game with opinions and suggestions.

Patting her arm, Edna said, “Just give them a minute to get it out of their systems and then they’ll smell the food and then we’ll see about getting your beautiful table all set for the meal.  In the meantime let’s see if we can get this bird carved.”

The rest of the day went much smoother than the morning had with no further interruptions from the past.  It was often times hard to get a word in with the group as it seemed like everyone was always talking at once, but the laughter and companionship she felt with every one of them made her feel light and relaxed by the end of the day.  Even the cleanup had been fun with the women all talking together about what was going on in their lives and with their families as they cleared the table and put the food away.

Lilly’s pregnancy was progressing as it should and she and Bobby were working on setting up the small spare bedroom at Edna’s house as a nursery for the baby.  Dana was excited over getting to be the second Lamaze coach during the birth of Lilly’s baby and waiting for the arrival of a new addition to her own household in the form of a newborn foster child, even though it meant delaying her wedding to Tommy for possibly another year. 

Meredith talked about the plans she and Chuck were making for a beach wedding in just a few months and how excited she was for Chuck’s upcoming art exhibit at the Gallery in New York.  Becca talked about preparing the spare room in her boyfriend Dickie’s house to accommodate the two foster girls they would be getting before Christmas, and how nervous she was about being any type of parental figure to a child, especially at her age.  Becca was only a few years older than Carla but had never had children.  Being a first time parent at almost fifty years old probably
was
nerve wracking.

Much like Gran, Carla just sat and listened to them all talk, only joining in periodically but not truly sharing much.  Edna appeared tired and Carla had gently coaxed the old woman to sit at the breakfast table and allow her and the other women to cleanup from the meal. 

After situating Edna with something to drink and baby Melody to hold, Carla went back into the dining room to gather up the last of the dishes off the dining room table.  On her way back through she glanced into the living room where the men were sitting watching football and paused mid-step.

She hadn’t paid much attention to the noise coming from her living room while in the kitchen and had been instead intently focused on the conversation between the ladies.  That had been her first mistake, though she would have expected more maturity from her own father.  Greg was knelt down next to Ben who was standing, facing Chuck.  After listening intently to what Greg had to say, she watched her little boy tuck his head down and then run straight at Chuck full speed, ramming into his waist and knocking him back several feet. 

The room exploded with cheers and encouragement from the group of men.  The near panic she felt that her youngest son would hurt himself was replaced with another feeling when Ben turned back around and raised his arms in victory and wearing a smile she hadn’t seen since before Doug passed away. 
Pride
.  She felt it and obviously Ben did as well by the look he wore.  So instead of breaking up the fun, even though she’d said no football and especially since they shouldn’t be doing it in the house, she continued on back into the kitchen.

What felt like only minutes later, Gretchen made her way into the kitchen and said matter of fact, “That’s what happens when they don’t listen, I tried to tell Matt and Ben not to run in the house but they did it anyway.  Now Mr. Sanders hurt his arm again because they wouldn’t stop when I told them to.”

Carla and Becca were the first of the group of women to make it into the living room.  Her heart raced upon seeing Ben’s tear streaked face from where he stood next to Matt. 

Glancing around she found Chuck standing in front of Greg who was bent over clutching his injured arm.  Greg’s face was red with an effort to contain the pain that his expression gave away.

“Ben got carried away and tried to tackle Mr. Sanders and accidentally hit his arm,” Matt supplied as she approached where the two of them stood

“I told him not to…” Gretchen said from right behind her.

“It wasn’t his fault.  I should have sidelined myself.  I knew I was injured so I should have taken myself out of the game,” Greg offered through clenched teeth.  “It was a good hit, Ben, so don’t worry about it.”