No Strings Attached

So far she hadn’t disappointed him, but Samantha worried about the day she would. After all, she wasn’t perfect. She made mistakes. What would happen when she finally fell off the pedestal her dad had placed her on? The thought was too awful to contemplate.

“How many apple pies did you make? I intend to take at least two home with me.”

“Don’t worry. There’s enough to feed even your bottomless pit. Mercy! I don’t know how you stay so skinny. I just look at food and gain weight. It’s not fair.”

“Whoever said life was fair?” Samantha replied, thinking about not being able to get pregnant, not being able to sell her book, not being able to…

Don’t go there, Samantha.

“Sometimes life really sucks.”

“Well, then, it’s good that I made a lot of pies, isn’t it?”

Wrapping her arms about her mom’s waist, Samantha hugged her. “Yes, it is. And I’ll need about a ton of ice cream to go along with them.”

DINNER THAT NIGHT was a loud, boisterous affair. Ross had brought Ellen, who sat quietly listening to the exchanges going on around her. Lucas was there, as was Samantha’s father, who at that very moment was grilling Jack about his new venture.

“Do you really think it was wise to leave the security of your job and start over from scratch, Jack? The economy being what it is, it could be risky.”

Fred Brady was in no way, shape or form a risk taker. He kept his money in low interest-bearing savings accounts and refused to invest any of it in the stock market or real estate, believing it was too speculative. He always crossed the street at the crosswalk, and he never missed attending church on Sunday, for fear of pissing off God and receiving retribution. Farmers were notoriously superstitious, but Samantha thought her dad’s overly cautious ways were a direct result of his own father’s financial reverses when he was growing up.

But Samantha’s father always said exactly what he thought, and she was a lot like him in that regard. “Jack’s new real estate firm is going to be a huge success,” she said confidently. “He’s worked very hard to make sure that he has all of his bases covered.”

Jack smiled gratefully. “I don’t intend to fail, Fred. I’ve done my homework, I’m good at what I do and I’ve got a partner to share some of the financial burden, which will make things a lot easier.”

“Quit being so negative, Fred,” Lilly admonished. “It’s the worst part of your personality.”

“Hey, maybe I should go to New York and help you out,” Ross offered. “I’m sure I’d be good at sales.”

Noting Ellen’s shocked expression, Samantha felt sorry for the young woman. Her brother’s comment did not sound like a man who was madly in love or ready to settle down.

“How are things at the elementary school, Ellen?” she asked. “Has nasty old Mr. Ferguson retired yet?”

Ellen smiled through her obvious distress. “We all thought he would at the end of last semester, but Mr. Ferguson is still going strong. I doubt he’ll ever die. He’s much too ornery.”

“Yeah, well only the good die young,” Samantha said.

Roger Ferguson was the principal of Dutchess Elementary. Samantha and Jack had spent many an afternoon warming the seats in his office, listening to lectures on proper classroom and playground etiquette. Not that those lectures had done a bit of good to curb their atrocious behavior.

Jack laughed. “You’ll probably find old Fergie dead under his desk one of these days.”

“Oh, I hope not,” she said, genuinely concerned by the possibility. “That would upset me terribly.”

“What doesn’t?” Ross interjected with a frown.

“I think Jack was only teasing,” Samantha told the young woman, whose face suddenly flamed in embarrassment. She then flashed Ross a warning look, wishing she could kick her insensitive brother’s ass up one side and down the other.

Ellen might be a bit too sweet and syrupy for her own good, but she had a generous spirit and a loving heart, and didn’t deserve to be ridiculed for it, especially in front of family.

“What have you been doing with your free time, Ross?” Jack asked. “Taken any trips lately?”

“Yes, Ross, tell us what you’ve been doing to occupy yourself all day long,” Samantha added, but not out of curiosity. She knew her brother did very little to keep himself busy.

Ross spent most of his time wallowing in the unfair hand he’d been dealt by the football gods. Once an NFL pro, he’d fractured his right leg in several places during a championship game. He’d been released from his contract when it became apparent that his leg would never heal enough to allow him the speed necessary for a running back.

“Ross is helping coach the high school football team,” Ellen informed everyone proudly. “I think the Ravens are going to have a winning season this year thanks to him.”

“Why that’s wonderful, Ross! Why didn’t you tell me and your father about this?” Lilly’s proud gaze fell on her son, who looked uncomfortable, not to mention extremely annoyed with his girlfriend.

“I’ve helped out with a few practices. That doesn’t make me a coach,” he insisted.

“With your football background you’d be very good at it, son,” Fred said. “Perhaps you should think more about it. It’d be a good way to occupy your time. You know what they say about idle hands and all.”

“Yeah, Ross, you’d be great. And you’d be able to put your football skills to use.” Jack reached for his iced tea and sipped the cold liquid.

“Ross would rather sit on his butt and collect his disability checks than work for a living. Right, bro?”

“That’s not fair, Lucas,” Ellen said, coming immediately to Ross’s defense. “Ross was injured. It’s not his fault that—”

Ross shoved his chair back and stood, cutting off whatever else the well-meaning woman was about to say. “I don’t need a champion, Ellen—I can speak for myself. What I need right now is some fresh air. I’m going outside.” He stormed out of the house, banging the screen door behind him.

All eyes turned to Ellen, whose face filled with apology. “You’ll have to forgive Ross’s rude behavior. I think he’s upset about something, but I don’t know what it is.” And if she did know, loyal Ellen wasn’t saying.

Fred’s face reddened in anger. “Ross was downright rude to you, Ellen. You shouldn’t have to put up with that. I raised him better than to be disrespectful to women.” Samantha’s father didn’t get mad often, but when his children disappointed him, he could go from zero to ballistic in three-point-two seconds.

“He’s not himself, Fred,” Lilly said, playing the role of peacemaker and overlooking her son’s obvious flaws as she so often did.

“Horseshit! That boy needs a good swift kick in the behind. Quit coddling him, Lilly. He’s not a boy anymore.”

“Maybe I should go talk to him,” Jack suggested, and Samantha’s mother breathed a sigh of relief.

“Would you, Jack? Ross has always listened to you.”

Samantha shook her head, doubting Jack would have much luck with the pigheaded man.

JACK FOUND ROSS down by the pond, seated on a bench he’d built years ago in high school wood shop.

“For chrissake, Ross! What the hell’s the matter with you? In all the years I’ve known you I’ve never seen you behave like such an asshole. I feel sorry for Ellen. You seemed to really enjoy running her down. What gives?”

Ross tossed pebbles into the water, one at a time, making concentric circles on the surface. After a moment, he looked up. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Since I lost my football contract, I’m at loose ends. I’m dying here, Jack.”

“But that was over two years ago, man. Surely you’ve adjusted by now? Life goes on. You need to get over this pity party of yours and get back into it.”

Ross shrugged his wide shoulders. “It’s not easy going from the limelight to spreading lime on a field. I’m not cut out for this kind of life. I’m bored…with everything.”

“So move. Do something different. No one’s making you stay here.”

“That’s just it. I don’t know what I want to do. Ellen wants me to take the coaching job that’s been offered and settle down to the quiet life here, raise a bunch of babies and watch the grass grow. But I’m not sure I can do that.”