What the Heart Knows

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“My wife hated housework, so one weekend I decided to help her. We had only been married a few years. That weekend I discovered one liquor bottle stashed behind the cleaning supplies under the sink and another one on the top shelf of the linen closet.” He paused, still sharply remembering the cold feel of the bottle in his hands as he had shown it to her. “I hadn’t realize Alice even drank. She knew how I felt about it.”

“So she kept it hidden from you?”

“Not after I confronted her with the two bottles. From then on she was open about her drinking.” Memories of watching his wife empty a bottle into a large glass then down it shuddered through him.

“That had to be hard.”

“Yes.” Jared took another sip of his coffee, cupping the mug to mask the quivering in his hands. “I’ve seen what alcohol can do to a person, medically speaking. In some ways I wished I had remained ignorant of her problem.”

“Ignorance is bliss?”

He placed his mug on the mat, this time being careful and said in a tightly controlled voice, “She wouldn’t let me help her. There were times my frustration level was unbearable. It’s hard watching someone self-destruct.”

Kathleen slid her hand across the cool glass and covered his. “How did you handle the stress?”

“I worked harder and longer at building my practice. By that time we had moved to Crystal Springs. And when I wasn’t working, I threw myself into the activities at the church we attended. If I hadn’t, I don’t know how I would have made it, especially when Alice became pregnant with Terry unexpectedly. I didn’t want any more children. I had seen the effects of alcohol on unborn babies.”

Kathleen squeezed his hand, her heart swelling. “Terry seems fine.”

“He is.” Jared blew out a long breath. “Thankfully Alice agreed to go into rehab while she was pregnant. Everything seemed fine for a while, but a few months after Terry was born, she started drinking again and was killed in a drunk driving accident.”

Tears stung Kathleen’s eyes, a lump lodged in her throat. “I’m sorry.”

Jared blinked, slipping his hand from hers. He straightened, a flush to his face. “I didn’t mean to tell you that. It’s not something I like to relive.”

“Maybe you should. It’s important to work through our feelings in order to get beyond them.”

“That life is behind me.”

The look of doubt in his eyes belied the force of his words. “Is it?”

He held her gaze for a few seconds, then glanced away. “Yes. Living through it once was enough.” He rose in one fluid motion. “I’d better be going. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Kathleen walked Jared to the door and watched him descend the steps out front. The droop to his shoulders attested to his weariness. The tight grin he gave her as he waved good-bye emphasized he wasn’t over what he had gone through with his wife. He might think it was behind him, but Kathleen knew it wasn’t.

Chapter Four

“Can I see what you have in that package?” Jared asked as Hannah and Kathleen approached him in the mall.

His daughter’s eyes grew round. She quickly hid the bag behind her back. “No.”

Jared took in her rosy cheeks and knew he had stepped into territory best left to the women. “Did you spend all my money?” That wasn’t a safe question for a man to ask, either, he realized after he’d said it.

“Not yet,” Kathleen said with a laugh. “But if you like what Hannah wants to buy, yes.”

“You want my opinion?”

“Since you’re paying, Kathleen thought so.”

“Let’s eat first, then I’ll take a look at it. Where do you want to have lunch?”

“The Greasy Spoon,” Hannah said, her face lit with a huge grin.

“What’s that?” asked Kathleen. “I thought I knew most of the restaurants in Crystal Springs. Of course, I’m not sure any place called the Greasy Spoon should be considered a restaurant.”

“It’s fairly new,” Jared answered, starting to walk. “It’s at the other end of the mall. Not bad, if you like fried food. Hence the name Greasy.”

Kathleen fell into step next to Jared with Hannah on her other side. As they made their way to the restaurant, Hannah veered off to the left, pulling her father over to the display window of the toy store.

She tapped the glass near an electronic game station, saying, “I want that for my birthday.”

“That’s not for another six months.”

“Oh, yeah.” Hannah’s shoulders sagged. “You know it might be something you could get both Terry and I for the summer when it’s too hot to play outside.”

Jared pressed his lips together, his eyes dancing with merriment. “You’ve never had trouble finding something to do during the summer before. Why should this summer be any different?”

Hannah opened her mouth to say something, but instead snapped it closed, her expression screwing up into a thoughtful look.

“You could always save your allowance and buy it for yourself.”

The girl brightened for a moment, but the eagerness evaporated when she saw the price. “That’ll take at least six months.”

Jared placed his hand on Hannah’s shoulder and began walking toward the other end of the mall. “Think how much it will mean to you when you finally get it. You could always earn some money. I weeded gardens for my neighbors at your age, which is where I learned to love yard work. I would dust for the Lunds. I walked Mrs. Wilson’s dog for her because she couldn’t. Now that, I loved doing.”

“I could do that. I know Mr. Batchlear can’t take his dog to the park like he used to. Maybe he would pay me to. And I bet I could get someone to let me weed their garden.”

“Actually you could do mine if you want,” Kathleen interjected.

“I can! Great. My first job!” Hannah jumped up and down, her blue eyes sparkling, her ponytail swinging from side to side in her excitement.

At the Greasy Spoon Hannah ran ahead to get a booth in the corner. Jared made his way at a much more subdued pace.

“I’m sorry, Jared. I should have asked you about that first.”

Jared shook his head. “No, I think it’s a great idea. It’ll give her a goal to work toward. I appreciate the offer.”

The grin he sent Kathleen made her heart flip over. She swallowed hard and returned his smile. “And I’ll have someone to weed the beds out front. Usually Mark does it, but he hasn’t shown any interest this summer, and I hate yard work, so this is a win/win solution.”

“Since your problem is solved,” Jared slid into the booth across from Hannah, “maybe you could help me out with a problem.”

“What?” Kathleen sat next to Hannah.

“I need another chaperone for the hiking trip this Saturday with the youth group. Phil has to work and can’t make it. Are you game?”