Chapter 15
CHRISTMAS WAS just a few days away, and Lizzie was about to go out of her mind with excitement.
“I need to find something for her to do,” Conrad said.
She had just one more school day before Christmas vacation and had the entire week off next week.
He only got the actual holidays off. “I know I should have thought about this sooner, but I’ve been so busy.
” He sat at his mother’s kitchen table surrounded by chickens, including ceramic and on the wallpaper.
It was her thing, but Conrad thought them a little creepy, though he never said a thing to her.
“There are school’s-out programs, but it’s likely they’re all full.” She poured him a cup of coffee, which he needed.
“I should have been paying closer attention to all of this.”
His mom shrugged. “She’s gotten older, and last year we still had daycare a few days a week.
But all that is gone. Christmas is Tuesday, so it’s only four days, and I’ll watch her tomorrow after school and Monday.
Why don’t you take the end of the week off?
You need a break before you start your new position. ”
Conrad couldn’t argue with her and logged into his laptop, sending a message to his current supervisor.
He got a response within ten minutes that it was approved and to enjoy his time off.
“I was hoping you were going to ask. Spend some time with your family, because you will be busy after the new year.”
“Okay. That’s sorted. I have the three days at the end of the week off.
” Now he just needed to figure out how he was going to fill them so they didn’t end up sitting around the house watching TV.
Still, it was a load off his mind. A second note came in from Jack, saying that he was officially off until after the new year.
“Good,” his mom said when he told her. “Will you and Forrest be able to see each other?”
“Maybe after Christmas. He’s going to see his parents for the holiday and will be home later in the week. I was hoping that we could be able to get together after he gets back.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “When are you going to admit that you have feelings for him that go pretty deeply? Just talking about the fact that he’s going to be gone makes your eyes dull and you sort of get frowny and all face-pinchy.
Those are Lizzie’s words. She asked about it, though she doesn’t know why it’s happening.
” She frowned at him and then called Lizzie in.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
“Something you should have done weeks ago.” She smiled and held out her arms as Lizzie came in and went right into them. “Your daddy has something he wants to ask you.”
Conrad wanted to growl, but he didn’t want to do it in front of Lizzie. Instead, he lifted her onto his lap. “I have a question for you. Do you like Mrs. Wood?”
“She’s nice,” Lizzie said but without much enthusiasm.
“I was wondering if you would be mad if you changed to her class from Mr. Scoville’s.
” God, he hated this, and still thought it best that he leave Lizzie out of things between him and Forrest. But it was also becoming clear that things had to change one way or another.
“You would still see the kids in the other class at recess and everything.”
Lizzie looked at him with her huge eyes. “Why? Was I bad? Does Mr. Scoville not like me anymore?” She seemed about on the verge of crying.
“No, honey. Mr. Scoville likes you, and you did nothing wrong.” Mom looked him square in the eyes.
It was a challenge, one Conrad wasn’t sure how to handle.
Part of him wanted to tell her about them, and the other felt like that was something he and Forrest should do together, because this affected him.
“Then why?” Lizzie asked.
“Honey,” Mom began. “Do you know how two people meet and fall in love.”
“Like a mommy and a daddy?” Lizzie asked.
“Yes, like that. Well…,” Mom began and then she seemed to founder as well. “Gosh.”
He just wasn’t quite ready to tell her he was in love with Forrest, especially since he hadn’t told Forrest yet. It was up to Conrad. “I was wondering if you would be willing to go to Mrs. Wood’s class after Christmas. She would be your teacher from then on. Is that okay, or would you be very sad?”
She thought for a few seconds. “Would I still get to see my friends?” Lizzie asked.
“Of course. And you would still get to see Mr. Scoville too. You just wouldn’t be in his class any longer. I just want to know if that happened, if you would be okay.”
“Yes, Daddy. I like Mrs. Wood. She does fun stuff in her class.” She squirmed and got down.
Conrad shook his head. “Could it actually be that easy?” he asked. “I mean….”
“Nothing is ever that easy. There will be issues, but from here, you and Forrest need to figure out what you’re going to do and what each of you wants, and you need to do it pretty soon. You can’t let this drag out. Lizzie needs to know what is going to happen so it isn’t a surprise to her.”
“I agree. Forrest is supposed to leave for his parents’ tomorrow morning.”
“Text him and find out when he’s going to be back so the two of you can talk.” She got up and went to the stove. “I made some soup for dinner.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said and sent a text to Forrest, getting a response and then a call. “What’s happening?”
“Well, it seems that my father surprised my mother for Christmas. He’s taking her on a cruise for the week, and they leave in two days.
It was a big surprise. Dad said that he could get me a room on the ship if I wanted to go, but…
.” He sighed. “I don’t want to crash my parents’ vacation.
I wish he had told me so I didn’t make plans to visit them.
He says he thought he clued me in, but he must have forgotten. ”
“Then spend the holiday with us,” he told Forrest while he was watching his mother. She pursed her lips and then nodded. They needed to talk about some things, and this would give them a chance.
“Are you sure?” Forrest asked. “I have an aunt and uncle in New York. Mom said she would call them if I wanted to spend the holiday with them.”
“No. Spend the day here. I want you to.” His heart did a little skip at the idea.
“If you’re sure. But I have to ask about Lizzie.”
“Well, Mom and I had a little talk with her, and I think things are going to work out on that front. I need to have a talk with the school… and you… before we do anything.” It was a lot of change, and he was still worried about putting too much of that on Lizzie’s shoulders.
Though maybe things would work out. “But I think it’s okay. ”
“All right then.” He sounded relieved and happy. “I’ll tell my mom and dad to have a good time on their cruise and that I’m all set.”
“Good.” Lizzie came in the room, and Conrad said good-bye and hung up the phone. “Is it okay if Mr. Scoville joins us for Christmas? He’s going to be all alone.”
“Yes.” Lizzie jumped up and down, so there was no doubt about how she felt. That was one of the things he loved about her: she was so open and so caring.
Mom began dishing up the soup, and Conrad got Lizzie settled at the table. They ate and then, after they both hugged his mom, they headed home.
“Who’s that?” Lizzie asked, and Conrad glanced to where she pointed.
A man stood across the street watching their house.
Then he continued down the sidewalk. Conrad thought he might have looked familiar, but then Lizzie began asking all kinds of questions about Christmas that pulled his attention.
Still, he looked around once they got to the door, but there was no one there as they went inside.
THE FOLLOWING day was so quiet, Conrad could hear the clock on his wall tick. A lot of his coworkers were off, and he spent much of the day making plans and developing a strategy for how he wanted to take things forward in the new year.
The plan was to close the office at three, so a little after two, he did a check that everything was okay and found Mr. Maxwell in his office, speaking on the phone. When the managing partner saw him, he motioned, and Conrad went inside.
“Thank you for letting me know,” Mr. Maxwell said before hanging up the phone. He motioned to a chair, and Conrad sat down.
“What can I do for you?”
“That was Lester Drovers’ ex-wife. She and her daughter were leaving town when Lester showed up at their house.
He’d delivered presents for his daughter, and apparently he asked to hug her.
She allowed it, and Lester tried to drag his daughter to his car.
The police were called, and Lester apparently made threats before leaving Bethany and running off.
” He sighed. “She left me with the impression that Lester was threatening to get even with everyone he held responsible for what happened to him. That includes me as well as you.”
Conrad gasped. “He was outside my house last night. I saw someone, and it didn’t click until just now that it was him. I think he was watching my house.”
His phone rang, and he checked the display. It was Forrest. “Take the call,” Mr. Maxwell said. “I just wanted you to know what I was told.”
“Thank you,” he said, answering the phone as he left Mr. Maxwell’s office. “Forrest?”
“There’s a real mess here at the school. The kids are gone, but Lester Drovers showed up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that I thought was truly crazy before.”
“Was he after his daughter?”
“No. He was after us. He came after me and the principal because we were somehow standing in his way and keeping him from seeing Bethany. The police were here, and he took off, but not before he told everyone that you and I were seeing each other. So now Harlon is all spun up, and the two issues have somehow come together in a shit storm of epic proportions.”
“Okay. I’m on my way.” There was no way in hell he was letting Forrest take the heat on his own. “Just stay calm.” He told Mr. Maxwell that Lester had been causing trouble elsewhere.