This Time Forever Read online

  “Can we take her for a ride?” Tanner asked. “I’m still a little worried it’ll scrape against the wheel. I mean, I know we drove it up and down the driveway to test it, but that’s not the same thing as going around the block.”

  “All right, let’s do it. But I’ll have to see if Rebekka’s up to watching Belle for a minute.”

  “She’s up. We ate breakfast together. Last I saw, she was heading for her room.”

  Damon used the intercom to ask Rebekka to listen for Belle. “I’ll go peek in on her, too,” she offered. Damon smiled at the answer. Despite Belle’s aversion to her, Rebekka obviously cared about both of his children. Eventually she might make a good mother—although, after seeing her expertise at the office, he had a hard time imagining her staying at home with children.

  Damon and Tanner drove around the block in the old station wagon. The Snail was ugly, but everything seemed to work. Back in the driveway, he helped Tanner wash the car, and that was when he discovered the windshield wipers were in far less than working condition.

  “We’d better check the blinkers and the headlights, too,” he told Tanner. He expected the boy to protest, to say that he hadn’t caused that damage, but Tanner seemed to be happy about making sure the whole car was in good shape.

  “Is this like going the extra mile?” Tanner asked.

  Damon wished he had brought up the analogy himself. “Exactly.”

  They found one blinker light burned out, but a quick trip to the auto parts store remedied that. The wipers turned out to be more difficult, as Damon broke the plastic while trying to replace the rubber part and had to return to the store for the complete assembly.

  “I don’t think you were doing it right,” Tanner said.

  Damon laughed. “Probably not. I haven’t changed my own wiper blades since I was a little older than you are.”

  With his hands on his hips, Tanner looked over the car. “I guess it’s done. We can take it back now.”

  “We’d better call first.” He put his arm around Tanner’s shoulder. “There’s one thing you need to remember about women, Tan. Always give them plenty of time before you come over.”

  Tanner’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

  “They like to be prepared. Something about makeup.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.”

  “I’m glad it makes sense to you, because when you’re my age, little about women does.”

  Tanner chuckled uncertainly. “Rebekka seems to like you. Are you going to marry her?”

  “Would that bother you?”

  Tanner shrugged uncomfortably. “She’s not really the mom type. I mean, she’s so young. Practically my age.”

  Damon thought it prudent to change the subject. “What would you think about staying at Mrs. Hansen’s every day after school? Just until I’m done with work?”

  “What about Rebekka?”

  “She’ll be staying with Jess and Bri, though we’ll see her as much as we want. I know you’re too old for a baby-sitter, but I don’t like the idea of you here all by yourself, and Belle needs some womanly influence instead of being with us all the time, don’t you think? She’ll feel more comfortable with Mrs. Hansen if you’re there, too. At least at first. Could you humor me for a while and hang out there until I get home from work? Once you’re driving, you could come down to the office instead, maybe earn some money, if it doesn’t interfere with your schoolwork.”

  Tanner scratched at a dab of dried paint on his arm. “Sure, I won’t mind. Mrs. Hansen’s a cool lady. But how will I get there? The bus from my high school doesn’t go to American Fork.”

  “She’ll pick you up.”

  Tanner’s face blanched. “In that?” He thumbed at the Snail.

  Damon stifled his amusement. “I thought it’d be important for her to have another car—you know, for when this one cuts out on her. So I found her a little Geo Metro.”

  Relief showed clearly on his son’s face. “Good idea. I think you just saved my social life.”

  “Like I said, it’s only until you get your license. I don’t know how long that will take. Remember, we have to see the juvenile court judge next week. Maybe when I tell him what you’ve done here, he’ll go more lightly.”

  Tanner frowned. “I wish it had never happened.”

  “Yeah . . . but then I wouldn’t have found Belle a sitter.”

  “You really like her, don’t you?”

  “Who?”

  “Mrs. Hansen.”

  “She’s a nice lady.”

  “Yeah. I think so, too.”

  * * * * *

  Mickelle worked in her garden Saturday morning, noting that the pumpkins were shaping up nicely. Next month they would carve wonderful jack-o’-lanterns and have pumpkin cookies with rich chocolate chips. The memories of past Halloweens were so vivid that she could almost feel the pulp of the pumpkin oozing between her fingers, and the hard feel of the thin seeds.

  Of course, Riley wouldn’t be there to help carve the pumpkins, but he wouldn’t be around to disapprove of their annual seed fight, either.

  Mickelle sighed. She missed Riley, the good with the bad. Eventually, they would have worked things out. He might even have learned to enjoy the sticky seed fights in the backyard.

  Purposefully, she turned her mind to other topics. Her date with Jim last night had gone well. He’d taken her to Wallaby’s in Lindon, and they were soon chatting like old friends. He was comfortable to be with, and she had found herself laughing. The only awkward moment was when he had brought her home. She hoped he wouldn’t try to kiss her; she wasn’t ready for that, though there was a part of her that longed to be kissed and to feel like an attractive woman again. When he didn’t try, she was relieved.

  We’re just friends.

  That morning Jim had called, surprising her. “I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed being with you last night.”

  “It was fun.”

  “I’d like to go out with you again.”

  “All right,” she agreed readily.

  “I’m not sure of my schedule next week, but I’ll call, okay?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Perhaps there could be more between them than friendship, she mused, tugging at a tender weed. He was at least six years her junior, but that didn’t mean anything in this day and age. He was a good listener; in fact, she had probably talked more than she should have, but he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. He didn’t know the first thing about children, but he could learn. She was almost positive he would never degrade them or her. Jim was also attractive in a boyish sort of way . . . nothing like Damon’s strong magnetism. But that direction of thought was dangerous. She’d loved a man once with her whole heart, and if she ever decided to have another relationship, she didn’t want the love to control her.

  Her disturbing thoughts stopped as Jeremy came running from the side of the house. “Mom, Mom! The Snail’s back! Belle came too, and Tanner. Can I play DS so he can help me get a Mew? I finished my chores.”

  “Even under the bed and inside the closet?” Mickelle straightened and brushed her hands together to remove the dirt.

  His face fell. “I’ll go check.”

  “It won’t take you more than two minutes. But what about your bed? Did you take the sheets downstairs—and the blanket if it got wet?” She had been trying to make him take responsibility for his nightly accidents, hoping the inconvenience would cure him of wetting the bed, or at least give her some reprieve.

  “It’s not wet.”

  “The blanket?”

  “None of it.” He glanced over his shoulder to be sure no one heard. “I didn’t wet.”

  “That’s wonderful, Jeremy! I’m so glad!”

  He beamed with pleasure. “So after I check the closet, can I play?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” He tore around to the side door as Damon came into the backyard. Mickelle thought he looked particularly handsome in new jeans and a blue T-
shirt. His shoulders appeared broader and his face more relaxed.

  He smiled. “Good morning.”

  “I thought you were going to call,” she said, feeling frumpy in Riley’s huge black T-shirt and her worn gray jeans, cut off at the knees. Her feet were bare and dirty, and she wore no makeup.

  “We did. Jeremy said you were outside, and that we should come on over.”

  “Oh. He didn’t tell me.”

  “I’m sorry.” He stood watching her for a full minute without speaking. Mickelle began to feel more uncomfortable. Why was he studying her so carefully? Did she have dirt on her face again? If only he weren’t so good-looking!

  “Would you like to see the car?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  They walked to the driveway, and Mickelle studied the Snail. “Looks wonderful.” She opened the door. “Nice.”

  “Tan practically did the whole thing himself.” For a moment, Damon was the perfect picture of a proud father. He leaned conspiratorially toward Mickelle. “In fact, I’ve been a little worried about you getting the new car, because I didn’t want Tan to feel he’d done it all for nothing.”

  “It wasn’t for nothing. He learned something, I’ll bet. All the same, I’m in no hurry to get another car. It can wait.”

  “Oh, but you have to have a new car in order to pick him up,” Damon said quickly. To her delight, his face flushed. “I know it might sound rather snobbish, but he is only fifteen, and appearances are important to him. Besides, he’s worked really hard to make amends.”

  “So what do you suggest?” Mickelle was impressed that he cared about his son’s feelings enough to analyze them.

  “I still want you to get the other car, but I wanted to know if you’d consider keeping this one for a few months, even if you don’t use it much. You don’t have to if you feel it’s a problem.”

  “It’s no problem. Really.” Mickelle slammed the door and bent to examine the fender. “He did a great job.”

  “Yeah, too bad I can’t frame it.” They both laughed.

  “It’s clean, too. He didn’t have to wash it.”

  “We wanted to.”

  “Thank you.” Mickelle stood, blinking away sudden tears. “So when do I go look at the Geo?” She began to walk toward the front porch, keeping her face averted.

  Damon followed her. “I’d hoped today, but apparently Kirk’s brother is out of town somewhere. How about Monday evening? I know that’s normally family night, but we can make it quick.”

  “Hey, throw in an ice cream and a soccer game, and that is family night,” Mickelle answered with a laugh, glad that her voice was normal.

  Damon laughed with her. “We can go when I come to pick up the kids. I’ll see if I can get off early, although we do have an important potential client coming in from New York. I shouldn’t be any later than six.” His step faltered. “Oh, I forgot I was supposed to take Belle in for her cast.”

  “I can do it,” Mickelle offered.

  “Extra stuff wasn’t really part of our . . .”

  She faced him. “Am I going to be her sitter or not? There’s no reason I can’t take her to the doctor for her cast. One thing’s certain: she can’t go to school until the real cast is on. She could hurt that arm again. And she’ll be at my house anyway, right?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “You could meet us at the doctor’s office, if you want, but if you can’t get away, she’ll be fine. When you come home, she’ll have all sorts of things to tell you.”

  “Thank you, Mickelle,” he said seriously. Then his face cracked into a wide grin. “Looks like my son ran into you just in time.”

  Mickelle laughed. “Nonsense. Rebekka would have taken her.”

  “Yeah, but right now she’s needed at work even more than I am.”

  “Then Brionney would have helped you out. There’s also the fact that if Tanner hadn’t run into me, Belle would never have climbed on my fence.”

  He shrugged. “Yours, the neighbor’s. She’d find a way. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Not if Belle doesn’t.”

  “I think she’d prefer you to Rebekka.”

  They climbed the steps and entered the house. All the children were in the kitchen, gathered around Tanner, who held a DS in his hands.

  “How are you, Belle?” Mickelle asked.

  The girl turned from the game. “My arm hurt all night, but Daddy stayed with me and told me stories.”

  “How’s it feeling now?”

  “Better. Except when someone hits it.” Her eyes drifted back to the game.

  Mickelle glanced at Damon with sympathy. “Tough night, huh?”

  “I didn’t mind. It gave me time to be with her.”

  Mickelle wished her attitude was more like his. When she had to change Jeremy’s bed in the night, as she often did when he awoke wet, she often had far less charitable thoughts.

  But last night, there had been no accident according to Jeremy. She stifled the urge to go into his room and check, just to be sure.

  “Well, kids,” Damon declared, “we’ve delivered the car. Hadn’t we better get going? Don’t you have chores or homework or something?”

  “Aw,” the children chorused.

  Jeremy looked at Damon. “Do you really have an inside pool and an outside one?”

  “We do.”

  “Cool. Could we come over and swim?”

  “Jeremy,” Mickelle warned.

  “I know how to swim like a fish,” Jeremy went on, ignoring her.

  “Daddy doesn’t let us swim alone,” Belle said. “He has to watch us.”

  “Belle can’t swim with her arm,” Mickelle added. She already knew where this conversation was leading. Perhaps Riley’s death had made her more cautious, but there was no way she would let either of her children go swimming without her.

  “I don’t mind,” Belle said. “I can just put my feet in.”

  Damon looked at Mickelle for a long moment without speaking. Then he said to Bryan and Jeremy, “You know, I’d love to have you boys over to swim sometime, but today I promised to help Rebekka move her things.” He placed a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “How about next week? If your mother says it’s all right.”

  “Well, I . . .” Mickelle hesitated. How could she say no? This man was trusting her with Belle every day. But she couldn’t say yes, either. What if he didn’t watch them closely enough? What if she lost Bryan or Jeremy?

  Again Damon’s eyes met Mickelle’s, where he seemed to read her unspoken fear. “And your mom could come, too,” he said, speaking to Jeremy but still looking at her.

  “Cool,” Jeremy said. “Mom’s a good swimmer.” He sighed. “But I wish we could go today.”

  Damon glanced at his watch. “I do have time for a short game of basketball. Isn’t that a hoop you have out there?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know how to play. My dad and Bryan played sometimes. Dad was really good.” Jeremy suddenly frowned and looked at his hands. “He said I was too little to play.”

  Mickelle’s heart ached at the sadness in Jeremy’s voice. Riley had told him that he was too small to play, but only because he didn’t want to take the time to teach him. He had played with Bryan because he’d already learned the rules at school.

  “Well, you must have grown up in the past few months,” Damon said, “because you look exactly the right size to me. I may not know much about soccer like your mom, but I do know basketball.”

  “There’s a ball in the shed!” Jeremy was out the door in an instant.

  “I’ll move the car,” Mickelle said.

  Not even Pokémon could compete with basketball, and soon the three boys and Damon were playing basketball in the driveway, while Mickelle kept Belle company on the sidelines.

  “Do you mind if I take you back to the doctor on Monday?” Mickelle asked her. “While your dad’s at work, I mean.”

  The little girl shrugged. “I don’t mind. But can I go to schoo
l afterwards? I want everyone to sign my cast.”

  “Sure. In fact, tonight I’ll buy a special pen for you to take.”

  “Can I have a whole bunch of colors?”

  Mickelle gave her shoulders a squeeze, careful of her arm. “I think I can manage that.”

  “Cool.” Belle echoed Jeremy’s favorite word.

  She noticed that Belle’s hair didn’t look as though it had been combed that morning. “Would you like me to put a braid in your hair?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Belle agreed. “I combed it when Daddy told me to, but it was hard with only one hand.”

  “Let’s go into the house for a moment. I’ll bet I can find an elastic.”

  The boys played a full hour before Damon finally announced that he had to leave. Jeremy ran up to Mickelle, who was back outside with Belle. “Did you see me play, Mom? Did you see me? I’m not too little. Damon was right!” He didn’t wait for an answer, but ran back to where Bryan was still shooting baskets.

  “Rebekka’s probably wondering what happened to us,” Damon told Mickelle. “We left her at Jess and Bri’s hours ago.”

  “So that’s how you got my car here . . . and the Lexus. I was wondering.”

  “Bekka drove the Lexus here, and I drove your station wagon. Then we took her to your sister’s, unloaded some of her boxes, and returned here. I told her I’d pick her up as soon as you saw the car and we talked about Monday night.”

  “You could use my station wagon if you need more space for moving Rebekka,” she volunteered.

  “That’s okay. Jesse’s coming over with his truck.”

  Mickelle walked Damon to his car, wishing she could ask how his date with Rebekka had gone last night. Did he love her? Why should she even care?

  Because I want to take care of Belle, she told herself.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly when they reached the curb. Tanner and Belle were inside the Lexus, out of earshot. “For playing basketball, I mean.”

  “You’ve got two great boys there.”

  Mickelle smiled her response. She wanted to tell him how much the game had meant to Jeremy, and probably to Bryan as well. Their grandfather and uncles had tried to make time for them, but she still worried that they would grow up feeling the lack of a father in the home. Now she had agreed to watch Belle, without thinking how having Damon around, even for a few minutes each day, might benefit her boys. Perhaps the Lord had been responsible for their meeting, however unusual the circumstances. Jeremy especially seemed taken with the man.