Tidings of Joy

Crystal nodded, peering away.

“Do you always waste your time drawing someone who isn’t important to you?”

She sighed, then shook her head. “He doesn’t know I’m alive.”

The anguish that wrenched her voice did the same to him. He cleared his throat and asked, “How do you know?”

“I just do. I might as well be dead for all he cares.”

The pain her words produced stole his breath. “I’m sorry. I…” Words failed him.

Chapter Three

For a brief moment Chance thought of his daughter. He remembered Haley making a comment a few days before she’d been killed about how she would just die if she didn’t get to go to a friend’s party. Haley never made it to the birthday party. He turned away, aware that Crystal had clasped his arm while her service dog licked his hand.

“Are you okay, Chance?”

The alarm in her voice swung his gaze to Crystal. He forced a grin that was an effort to maintain. “I’m fine. I had a daughter. She would have been near your age if she’d lived.” He couldn’t believe he’d said that out loud. He didn’t talk about Haley—he couldn’t without—

“Oh, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

Gone were Crystal’s problems as she leaned toward him, wanting to offer comfort. Most of the time he could handle it. Coming to Sweetwater had for some reason revived all those memories. Probably because Crystal was so close in age to Haley. There was only a year between them.

“She was killed.” He scooted forward in the chair. “But I don’t want to talk about me. Tell me about this guy you have a crush on.”

Crystal started to say something but decided not to. Instead, she shrugged. “There’s nothing to say. He’s popular. I’m not.” She put her hand on her service dog, stroking her Lab’s black fur. “He’s on the basketball team. Even though he’s a freshman, he plays varsity because he’s so good. The season will start in six weeks. I try to go to every game.”

“You like basketball,” he said, sensing Crystal steering the conversation away from the guy she cared about.

Her face lit. “Yes. I’ve even tried to play some with Sean. He’s my best friend.”

“Are you any good?”

Laughter invaded her features. “Are you kidding? I can’t even hit the backboard now. I use to be able to before the accident. But I can still dribble.”

“Maybe all you need is practice. I could fix you up a basketball hoop and backboard if you want.”

“Really?”

He nodded, her enthusiasm contagious. “If it’s okay with your mom.”

“What’s okay with me?”

The screen door banged closed, and Tanya strolled toward him. Her smile of greeting, reaching deep into her eyes, soothed some of the tension knotting his stomach. He came to his feet, facing Tanya, who was only a few inches shorter than his own six foot plus height.

“I offered to put up a basketball hoop for Crystal.”

Her mahogany eyes grew dull. She ran her hand through her short brown hair, brushing back her wispy bangs. “I don’t want—I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do.”

He grinned, wanting to tease the smile back into her eyes, needing to lighten the mood. “Nope. I don’t have anything to do except shop for some new clothes between now and Wednesday. So I’m pretty much a man of leisure in need of a project.”

“Mom?”

Tanya glanced at her daughter. Eagerness replaced her earlier sadness. For the past three years Tanya had constantly depended on others to make it through. Each day she felt herself growing stronger. And with that, she had determined she would learn to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t want to become any more beholden to Chance Taylor than she was. She’d already regretted asking him to help her with her budget. But how could she turn her daughter down? Basketball and drawing were the two things Crystal loved the most.

“Fine. But only if you let me help you. And I’m paying for the materials.” Somehow she would come up with the money for the hoop, backboard and wood to secure it to the garage.

“Good. See you two later.”

Tanya watched Chance stroll away, his hair damp from exercise, a fine sheen of sweat covering his face. He must have gone for a long run. He’d been gone over an hour. She should do more exercise. I wonder if he would like a running partner, she thought, realizing she’d probably never go jogging unless she did it with someone.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Crystal’s voice dragged her from her musings. “You’re welcome. Next time, honey, say something to me first. I could have figured out how to put one up.”

Her daughter giggled. “This from the woman who until recently didn’t know what a Phillips head screwdriver was?”

“But I do now. I’m getting quite handy around the house, if I do say so myself.”

“I didn’t ask him, Mom. He volunteered when we were talking about basketball. Did you know he had a daughter? She died.”

“Really! That’s horrible.” Tanya peered toward the apartment over her garage, beginning to see why there was such a look of vulnerability about Chance Taylor. Losing a child was the worst thing she could imagine. She remembered when Crystal had first been taken to the hospital almost four years ago. The feeling of devastation had thrown her life into a tailspin that slowly she had managed to right, but not without a lot of heartache along the way.

“Do you think that’s why he wants to help me out?”

“Possibly, honey.” Then Tanya grinned. “But more likely because you’re such a sweet child.”

Crystal screwed up her face into a pout. “I’m not a child anymore, Mom, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Her daughter’s fervent words wiped the smile from Tanya’s face. “Oh, ba—Crystal, I’ve noticed what a beautiful young lady you’re growing up to be.”

“Then you’re the only one,” Crystal mumbled and wheeled herself into the house.

Stunned at the despondency in her daughter’s voice, Tanya quickly followed Crystal inside only to find the door to her room closed with her Do Not Disturb sign hanging from the knob. She knocked.

“Go away.”

“Crystal, we need to talk.”

“I don’t have anything else to say,” her daughter said right before the sound of loud music blasted through the air.

Tanya stared at the door, trying to decide whether to ignore her child’s request or wait for another time when she would be more willing to talk. Lord, help me here. What do I do?

The music grew even louder, silently giving Tanya her answer. Nothing would be accomplished this evening finding out what was at the root of her daughter’s unhappiness.

“I noticed you’ve owned this house for ten years. Why don’t you take out a second mortgage on it?” Chance asked Tanya later that evening.

“Well…” She didn’t have an answer for him. Sitting at her kitchen table with all her finances spread out before her, she stared at the total figure of her debt, in large black numbers on the paper before her. “I didn’t want another bill to pay.”