13. Clara
CLARA
When the class let out, I walked over to the bench and grabbed a towel, swiping it down my face.
I was sweating hard, and nothing had ever felt as good.
The first few days were rough, but once the first week passed, I found my rhythm and got pleasure out of the burn in my muscles.
I never knew something could be so exciting, so fulfilling.
Most of the other ladies agreed that this was something they’d needed, but there were a few who decided it wasn’t for them and left. And that was fine. I was doing this for me, not for a way to connect with the other wives in town.
It also gave Blake the opportunity to have a more structured schedule, which she said helped her get back in fighting shape. I wasn’t sure if she planned to go back out on the road and find bad guys to beat up or not, but she was beaming every day when she left the gym.
Sam’s manager, on the other hand, did not look as pleased with the fact that we spent our mornings here. I had to find a way to make it up to this man. The last thing I wanted was for Deke to take his anger out on Sam for helping us.
Smiling, I walked over to the grumpy man and held out my hand. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Clara, Blake’s mother-in-law.”
“Deke,” he grunted out.
“Look, I’m really sorry we’ve been taking up so much space in the gym, but we really appreciate it.”
The man crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me. “You do realize Sam is a professional boxer, and this gym was set up for him to practice.”
“I do. And like I said, we’re all extremely grateful—”
“Don’t care. You can do your exercises anywhere. Sam is here to do his job.”
Wow, I could see this man was not going to be won over easily. “You know, I’m making a big roast for dinner tonight. Perhaps you’d like to come by and eat with us. Sam will be there, and we’d love to have you.”
Indecision warred on his face for a moment. “I haven’t had a good homemade meal in a long time.”
“You’re welcome anytime. Dinner’s at six. You know the way?”
He grunted in acknowledgment, but the wariness in his eyes returned. “You’re just trying to butter me up.”
“Maybe, but I doubt that a man like you would be swayed by a simple homemade meal. You’re too smart for something like that.”
A grin threatened to pull at his lips, but he somehow held back. “I’ll see you at six.”
“See you then.”
The man didn’t know what he was in for. I was no simple housewife.
I’d spent all my life cooking for a family of hungry men, and my girls could bake with the best of them.
By the time I was done with dinner and had it on the table, the man wouldn’t know what hit him.
And once he tasted my apple pie, he’d be a goner.
I sent out an emergency S.O.S. to my girls, telling them to meet me at the house in two hours. We had a lot of cooking to get to, and one stubborn man to impress. And when I was through with him, he’d never question our need for the gym again.
Sweaty as I was, I ran to the General Store, giving John a wave as I walked through the doors.
Unlike everyone else in the Parker clan, I wasn’t very inclined to write off the whole Callahan family because of one bad seed.
Even if Austin did try to kill me, I could never believe that John would condone that behavior.
After hustling through the store for a feast that would rival Thanksgiving, I was finally ready to check out. As I approached the counter, chipper and ready to take on the boxing grump, I wasn’t prepared for John to walk around the counter and hug me.
“Oh,” I laughed, patting him on the back. “How are you, John?”
“I should be asking you that,” he whispered, his voice cracking. Stepping back, he smiled sadly at me. “Are you doing okay? You look fantastic.”
“Well, a little sweaty. Some of the ladies and I have been working out at the gym.”
“That’s good. And…”
I knew this would grate on John until the day he died. Yes, he was angry after what happened to Clay, but he was a good man, and the fact that his other son so callously tried to kill me, hurt him more than anyone could see.
But I understood. For the longest time, I’d seen John’s anger tear him apart, and I tried to help, but the rift between our families was too strong. Now, he was just trying to survive.
“John, I’m fine. I promise. And you have nothing to be sorry for. You are not responsible for what your son did.”
He frowned, the deep lines around his mouth sinking into his skin, showing his age. If anything, he looked ten years older than he should.
“I just—” He stepped back, running his hand over his mouth as he sucked in a deep breath. Tears glimmered in his eyes that he quickly tried to blink away. “I’m so sorry for all the years of fighting. None of it should have ever happened.”
His eyes slowly met mine, filled with remorse for a lifetime of anger that tore our families apart.
“Hey, it’s water under the bridge. What’s in the past should stay in the past. Now, I have a big dinner tonight. I’m trying to convince Sam’s coach to let us continue using the gym, and I’m going to do it with beef.”
“Well, we’d better get you on the road, then.”
He smiled tightly, but for the first time in years, he looked lighter than he had. Repairing the damage between our two families wouldn’t come easily, but in time, we might learn to get along again.
But after John helped me load the groceries in the car, I remembered that Austin would only be in prison for a year.
And when that year was up, John would still have to deal with his son.
I didn’t know what would happen then, but one thing was certain—John had always been loyal to family, and when his son got out of prison, he would try to help him get back on his feet.
What that meant for the rest of us, I still didn’t know, and to be honest, it was something I didn’t want to think about.
The table was laden with food, filling every spare space with the multitude of meats and sides I had made. I might have gone overboard.
Hell, as I looked for a place to set the plates, I realized this was way too much food. But there would be a feast, and I would win Deke over if it was the last thing I did.
“Um, Mom, where are we gonna eat?” Krista asked.
“I still haven’t figured that out. Maybe we can set up some tables in the living room.”
“The living room is filled with sawdust,” Lizzy pointed out. “Do you really want to eat in the construction area?”
“Well, we can’t eat here. There’s no space.
” I sighed heavily, wishing I had thought this through, but when I counted the number of people who were coming, and thought about how many men would be here, I just got peeling potatoes and chopping carrots until there were side dishes coming out of my ears.
And the meat…As mouthwatering as it looked, we had gone a tad overboard.
Usually, I only pulled out what I would need for one meal, always making sure to have a little extra in case someone dropped by.
But tonight…well, I had raided the freezer and defrosted nearly half of it to accommodate our guests.
“Card tables it is,” Krista grimaced. “It won’t be the most comfortable, but at least we’ll all have a place to eat.”
While the girls got to work setting up the tables in the living room, I finished the gravy and pulled the rolls out of the oven. I was just setting the pan on the stove when strong hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me in to a warm body.
“Mm, something smells good,” Ben murmured in my ear. “What’s the occasion?”
I wasn’t used to him being so touchy-feely with me. If anything, he had only started that when I ended up in the hospital, but it quickly died down over the past few weeks while we’d been fighting.
With his arms wrapped around me, I found myself sinking into his touch, needing what I had been craving for so long. I missed these moments with him and wished we would stop fighting long enough to find our way back to each other.
Turning in his arms, I smiled at him, hoping he caught on to my good mood. “I invited Sam’s coach over for dinner.”
“Deke? Why would you invite him over? Does he have a match coming up?”
“Actually, we’ve been using the gym— well, the ladies around town, and me. We’ve been invading his space, and he was really angry about all of us being there. I thought I could persuade him to let us continue using the gym with a good home-cooked meal.”
My husband stiffened, the smile slipping from his lips. “So, this is all for another man?”
“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds so—”
“I’ve been busting my ass day after day on this room, and I barely get a kind word out of you,” he snapped. “But for a little gym space, you’ll make a feast for another man?”
“Ben—”
He huffed out a laugh, taking a step back. “And here I thought you were making dinner for me.”
“I’m making dinner for the family.”
“No,” he growled. “You’re making dinner for another man, so you can woo him with your roast pork and pot roast. None of this is for me.”
I couldn’t believe how angry he was. When I made this, I thought of all the men coming over, of how hungry they would be. I never thought only of Deke. But based on the fact that Ben was glaring at me, he didn’t see things my way, and he never would.
“If you’re going to be upset because I’m trying to do something nice for a man who has been lending us gym space, then I can’t stop you.
I understand why you’re upset, but we’re about to have company, so if you wouldn’t mind behaving like a normal person for the rest of the night, I would greatly appreciate it. ”
His eyes sparkled with hatred as he took another step back. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to ruin your big dinner.”
He turned and stalked out of the room just as Lizzy came back in with a grin on her face. “Hey, Daddy.”
“Hey, baby girl.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss before walking away.