Chapter 4
Jeremiah swept the garage floor for the second time this morning.
The poly coating made it hard to sweep; however, the aggressive texture to keep the floor from being slippery was the trade-off.
Once the sweeping was finished, he pulled the hose off the reel outside and dragged it into the garage.
He paid close attention to hosing the floor so it was clean.
It made Joci feel better if things were clean when people came over.
He'd never had more pride in his home than he did now.
It was because of her. He saw things through her eyes and how proud she was when his family complimented her on the house, or the decorations, or how nice it smelled.
Then it made him proud, too. Of her. Of her care with the boys, the house, and his family.
About all of it. He shook his head. Who would have guessed his life would be this?
He never had. He'd watched his brothers and wondered why it hadn't happened for him.
Then he'd chide himself for not being grateful for what he did have and being happy for them. But finally, his life felt complete.
Bryce's truck pulled up to the curb, and Jeremiah wrapped the hose around the reel and strode out to greet his younger brother.
Bryce had walked around the truck to the passenger side and opened the door for his wife, Angie. Angie smiled as he neared. He bent down and hugged her close, then hugged his brother. "It's nice to see you two."
Bryce chuckled. "Believe me when I tell you it's nice to be here. Angie has been packing things up all week, like Joci hadn't already bought the store out. I kept telling her it would be fine."
Angie pulled two large grocery bags from the backseat and nodded toward the truck. "You two can help me carry in the pans and my mixer."
Jeremiah laughed as Bryce rolled his eyes.
But they dutifully carried the items into the house.
The noise level inside was high; his mom had arrived an hour ago, and his dad had commented that she'd forgotten something, so he had to run back home.
The women hugged, chatted, and shared their recipes for today.
The door opened, and Dayton and Staci came in with Tommy and Erin.
He hugged his sisters-in-law, then his brothers as they merged into the crowded kitchen and hugged the others.
Dayton and Tommy dropped bags of powdered sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pounds of butter, and so much more onto the counter.
Jeremiah shook his head. "Is there any sugar left anywhere in town? I swear, everyone in Cedar Creek is going to have to run to Green Bay to find sugar for their baking."
Joci turned and smiled at him. Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
Her face was filling out with her pregnancy, and she looked beautiful.
He was determined to enjoy her entire pregnancy.
It was likely their last child, and he wanted to know everything about bringing this little one into the world.
His stomach twisted when he recalled how close he'd come to losing Joci and the baby.
All because of LuAnn and her jealousy. Of which his mind was still boggled about.
He had no idea she'd harbored any thoughts about him in any other way than brotherly.
He was shoved from behind, and Dayton chuckled. "I'll take a beer, bro."
Jeremiah shook the negative thoughts from his head and pulled the refrigerator door open.
He pulled beers out for his brothers and himself.
Then pulled another one out for his dad, who'd no doubt be here soon.
He handed them out with a smile, then nodded toward the door to the garage, "Let's sit outside in the garage.
I have the television set up out there so we can put the game on. "
His brothers started toward the door, but he took a second to kiss Joci and whisper in her ear. "I love the hell out of you. Have fun."
He didn't wait for a response, but he did see the smile on her face as he turned to head out. That said it all right there.
His brothers had already pulled the lawn chairs off the wall where he'd hung them and were setting up a folding table. Staci rushed out of the house with a tablecloth and bowls. Erin followed with bags of chips, pretzels, and dip. Staci laughed. "We thought of you men, too, as we were packing."
Joci stepped into the garage with two bowls, one with nuts and one with popcorn. She set them on the table and winked at him before turning and stepping inside. His heart pinched at his good fortune. A gust of wind blew in, and Jeremiah tapped the garage door button to close the door.
As he sat in his lawn chair to watch the game with his brothers, his phone buzzed.
Pulling it from his pocket, he saw the name of someone he hoped he wouldn't see for a long time.
Detective Teddy Jones. His brows bunched, and his brother Tommy stared at him.
He turned his phone to show Tommy the name on the readout, and Tommy sat back hard in his chair.
Jeremiah tapped the answer icon and stepped out the back door. "Hey, Teddy. How are you?"
"I'm doing well, Jeremiah. How are you and your family?"
"We're doing well. Not sure if you know, but I'm going to be a father again."
"Congratulations. I hadn't heard. I don't get to see Tommy at the station anymore. I've been moved across Green Bay."
"Thank you." He took a deep breath. "Do I want to know why you're calling?"
Teddy cleared his throat. "You probably don't want to know, but I think you need to be aware.
Calvin Mercer has gotten out of jail. He's been seen around despite being told to stay away from you and your family.
He's still holding on to that chip on his shoulder.
Ten years in jail did nothing to make him see that you had no choice but to testify against him.
Instead of finding religion, he dwelt on everyone who he thinks did him wrong. "
Jeremiah took a deep breath and looked at the grass near his feet.
His heart felt heavy as he recalled being subpoenaed to testify against Calvin.
He knew then, Cal would never forgive him, but he had no choice.
"Okay. Thanks for letting me know. I've seen a dark sedan out in front of the house and yesterday at Rolling Thunder.
It followed Ryder and me to the grocery store, then disappeared.
I worried it might be him, but hoped I was wrong. "
"I'm sorry, Jeremiah. If he does anything to threaten any of you, give me a call, and we can pick him up. It's definitely against his probation to go near those who testified against him."
Jeremiah looked up as something in his peripheral vision moved. A gray cat jumped up on the fence post and sat with its tail wrapped around its feet, watching him. The green eyes stared unblinking for a long time.
"Thank you, Teddy. If he comes any closer than he has, I'll let you know."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Jeremiah. Best of everything to you and your family."
"Thank you, Teddy, to you and your family as well."
The line went dead, and Jeremiah stepped back into the garage to see that his father had arrived and taken his chair. He squeezed his father's shoulder as he moved past him to bring down another chair. He opened it up and sat next to Tommy.
"Is it what I think it is?"
Jeremiah nodded. "Yeah."
His father leaned forward, and his other brothers turned toward them, all of them listening. He swallowed and said, "Calvin Mercer is out of jail. I think he's been watching the house and Rolling Thunder. Teddy said if he does anything threatening to let him know."
Jeremiah's dad slapped his hand on his knee. "That son of a bitch. He's the one who went AWOL. He's the one who robbed convenience stores. He's the one who committed crimes, not you. You gave him a chance by hiring him. You had no choice but to testify to what you knew about him."
Jeremiah reached over and put his hand on his father's shoulder. Giving him a reassuring squeeze, he looked into his father's eyes. "I know. We all know. But it is what it is right now. As long as he doesn't do anything, it's just intimidation."
Thomas Sheppard, Sr., wasn't a man who liked his family in any danger. He took a swig of his beer and set the bottle down hard on the table. Bryce nodded toward Jeremiah. "We'll all keep our eyes and ears open."
"Thank you. But for now, please don't say anything to Joci. I don't want her blood pressure to skyrocket, and I don't want her to worry."
Thomas Sr. mumbled, "Son of a bitch needs to be back in the slammer."
Tommy leaned forward. "I'll find out what I can at the station tomorrow about his release and the terms of it. I'll also let the other officers know you think you've seen him. We can all make occasional drive-bys to keep Mercer on his toes."
Jeremiah took a deep breath. He was indeed fortunate. "Thanks, Tommy. I appreciate it."