Page 14 of The Calendar of New Beginnings (Dare Valley #9)

CHAPTER SEVEN

D anny was so engrossed with talking to Lucy, Andy had to remind him to eat his hamburger and fries at least ten times.

Everyone else was equally enthralled. Even Moira, Matt, and Natalie, who’d known Lucy growing up.

Jane and Blake were new to the Lucy show, and they shoveled in their Cobb salads without looking at them as his best friend answered Danny’s rapid-fire questions.

Had she ever seen an animal eaten by a lion?

He squealed when she told him she’d seen a whole pride of lions eat an antelope, going into grisly detail only a five-year-old boy would want to hear.

In response to Danny’s question about whether she’d ridden a camel, she told him she’d lumbered through the pyramids in Egypt at sunset on one of the hairy, spitting beasts.

And when his son asked her if she’d ever found buried treasure, her response was to tell him about the incredible tombs in the Valley of the Kings, where dead people were transformed into mummies and entombed with all their worldly possessions.

“Do you mean like a Wii or football?” Danny asked, seeking clarification on this entombing stuff.

“Take a breath—and then a bite of your hamburger, Danny,” Andy repeated again, hoping Lucy’s stories weren’t going to give his kid nightmares. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Exactly like an Wii or football,” Lucy said, her eyes sparkling.

“But not just small things like that. We’re talking about beds, chests of gold, and statues of their family members.

The ancient Egyptians believed they needed all their things around them so they could make a home in the afterlife—the place they went to after they died. ”

“I like this idea of being buried with my football,” Blake said, putting his arm around Natalie. “Babe, let’s keep that in mind. And I’ll want a statue of you, of course.”

His wife socked Blake in the arm and gave him a look. “Not funny.”

Danny propped his chin up with his hand on the table. “I thought people went to heaven when they died. Dad, does Mom have her things with her? I can’t remember.”

Andy’s chest constricted, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Everyone at the table stared at him, and Lucy went from sparkly to stricken in the space of a second.

“The ancient Egyptians didn’t know about heaven,” he said cautiously, trying to formulate a response that wouldn’t scar his kid. “Your mother has everything she needs. Trust me on this.”

“Maybe we should visit her tomorrow and check to make sure,” Danny said, his brow furrowed now. “I don’t want Mom to be without her favorite things. If I were in heaven, I’d want to take my Wii and the football Blake gave me. And my bike. Oh, and my stuffed hippo.”

His son thought about death way more than any child should.

Andy knew it was only natural. He’d read basically all the psychology books ever written about children and grief, and they all agreed on that point.

He’d heard the same things from the child psychologists he’d spoken to in preparation for ushering his son through their shared loss.

Heaven wasn’t a tangible concept to a five-year-old, he’d realized early on, but even young kids understood angels.

He’d told Danny that his mother was an angel in this beautiful place called heaven, which was kind of like a magical garden where everyone you loved who’d died came to live with you.

Danny had liked the thought of his mom being with her grandma, who’d taught her how to quilt.

Andy hadn’t seen the harm in telling his son those stories. They were a comfort, a balm.

But this… How was he supposed to keep Danny from wanting to leave an assortment of Kim’s favorite things at her gravesite? He rolled his shoulders to relieve the tightness and felt Moira put her hand on his back in support.

“Danny,” Lucy said, clearing her throat, causing everyone to look at her. “Your dad is right. The ancient Egyptians had a different way of saying goodbye to the people they loved. Why, almost every place I go has a special way.”

Andy had to bite his tongue to keep from telling Lucy to stop talking. Judging from the puzzled look on his son’s face, she was only making things worse.

“But do you know what, Danny?” she continued, staring earnestly at his son. “The one your dad chose for your mom is absolutely the best. Because he’s the best and smartest dad ever. Right?”

And then Lucy smiled—that smile that transformed everything around her.

Danny grinned back. “Right. He is the best and smartest dad ever!”

To punctuate the sentiment, his son turned in his seat and gave him a smile big enough to fill the world with sweetness. Andy felt his stomach settle back into his gut as Moira patted him on the back.

All of the adults around him released slow breaths.

Lucy met his gaze briefly before returning her laser-like focus to Danny. “Did I tell you about the time I took a horse and rode through the ancient ruins of Petra like Indiana Jones? Please tell me you’ve seen the Indiana Jones movies. They’re like your dad’s favorites.”

“Of course I’ve seen them!” Danny said. “But Dad has me close my eyes for the scary parts.”

“Like the scene where all the bugs crawl over them?” Lucy asked, gagging. “I hate that part!”

“We’re not supposed to say ‘hate,’ Miss Lucy,” Danny said quietly. “Right, Dad?”

“Right,” he answered, leaning over and kissing Danny on the top of his head because he needed to. Frankly, all he wanted to do was down Lucy’s Jameson, take his kid home, and tuck him into bed.

“Oopsy daisy,” Lucy said with a shrug, doing her best to lessen the tension at the table. “Guess I’m still learning what’s okay to say. You keep reminding me. Okay, Danny?”

“Okay,” Danny said, bouncing in his seat. “Have you ever seen?—”

“How about you and me find the foosball table?” Matt interrupted, standing up. “I’m in the mood for a little competition.”

Andy knew his brother was trying to give him a moment to recover his balance, and he appreciated it.

Danny’s questions were becoming more inquisitive as his mind developed.

Sometimes Andy wondered how many times he’d have to deflect a particularly tough question about death and how it related to Kim.

The hardest part was that he knew it wasn’t going to end any time soon—as a little person grew, so did his questions. Right now, Andy was looking at somewhere around ten more years of this line of questioning. It stretched before him like an open-plank bridge over a gorge.

The rest of their party stood too. Lucy sought his eyes, and in them, Andy could see her regret for her earlier comments. He smiled at her to assure her it wasn’t her fault.

Blake picked Danny up and threw him in the air, causing him to squeal. “I’m going to beat your pants off tonight, munchkin.”

Danny giggled. “No, I’m going to beat your pants off, and then you’ll have to walk to your car in your underwear.”

“That would be a sight,” Natalie said, laughing out loud.

“Might make a few women faint,” Jane added, joining in.

“Undoubtedly,” Moira agreed, giving him a playful wink.

“I’ll catch them as they fall, man,” Matt told their brother-in-law, his shoulders shaking.

Blake shook his head. “You all wish you could have this body.”

Matt clapped him on the back, and the group of them left the table and headed for Hairy’s game room, leaving Andy and Lucy alone with Moira. He gave his sister a look, which she returned.

She fussed with her hands. “Lucy, I’m sure you heard, but I up and left my old job after a few too many run-ins with my boss.

I’m planning to take a break in Dare Valley before looking for a new one, and I was hoping…

we might get together sometime. What with you being back and all.

Plus, I’d love to talk to you more about photography.

Yo u’re one of the best out there, and it’s a special hobby of mine. ”

His sister was as close to babbling as he’d ever seen her. Good Lord, was she having another fan moment?

Lucy was watching her with a neutral expression, but he could feel her gathering herself. Talking about photography was probably the last thing Lucy wanted to do outside of the classroom. Not that Moira had any way of knowing that.

“Let’s give Lucy some time to settle in,” he said, deciding to intervene.

Moira’s mouth parted slightly, a sure sign she was surprised by his response. “Of course. Any time you’d like, Lucy. I’ll just join the others and let you two catch up.”

A smile flickered on Lucy’s face. “Andy’s right. I have a lot of things to see to right now, but I’m sure we can chat at some point. Good luck finding a new job, by the way.”

His sister sought his gaze once more before nodding and darting off in the direction of his family.

“You need a Jameson after that?” Lucy asked him point-blank. “I guess your sister didn’t realize how upset we both were. Me because of the situation with my eye, and you because of my mistake with your son.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” he told her, trying to be nice. “And I don’t use liquor to handle my stress.”

She tapped her finger on the table. “Well, I sometimes have a drink when I’ve had a moment. I’m sorry I caused Danny to ask those questions. I would never do anything?—”

“I know,” he said, interrupting her. “He’s smart, and he’s curious. It’s not the first time he’s asked something like that after hearing what should have been a simple story. Kids who lose parents young often have a fascination with death. ”

Whereas all he wanted to do was run as far as he could in the opposite direction. He wanted to believe Kim was in a place called heaven, but when it came down to it, he just didn’t know.