Into the Storm (Signal Bend #3)(57)
“Change ‘em. If it helps, I’ll bring ‘em back after lunch, and we’ll talk then about a good time for me to come down again.”
“I’m taking them to the mall in Little Rock, so they can buy gifts for family. They’ve been saving up a
little fund since summer.”
Little Rock was about an hour away. “I can do that. Then I’ll take them to lunch and bring them back around, say, three. Okay?”
“Three sharp.”
Show nodded, holding back his grin. He’d won—and it hadn’t been half as difficult as he’d expected.
Holly had softened a little.
She opened the door. “Girls, I’ve got a Christmas surprise for you!” She stepped to the side and let Show into the apartment.
It looked a lot better than the last time he was here. It wasn’t just the furniture. They’d made it a home in the past few months. He noticed that breakfast was over; the syrupy plates from pancakes were still on the counter. Iris was sitting across the apartment on their old couch, watching television. Enrapt in Frosty the Snowman, she hadn’t acknowledged her mom’s announcement. Show walked toward the couch. “Hey, baby flower.”
At his voice, her head jerked toward him. “Daddy? DADDY!” She jumped up and ran to him. He squatted so he could hug her as she crashed into him. “You came back! Momma said you wouldn’t come back but I knew you would! Can you stay?”
“No, girlie. Sorry.” She started to pout. “But I’m here for a little while, and your mom said I can take you shopping and to lunch. Sound good?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I want to have a vanilla shake.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rosie coming down the hall, her mother behind her. It looked like Holly was almost pushing her, and Rosie did not look pleased about it. He unwound Iris and stood.
“Hey, Rosie.”
“It’s Rose, Dad.”
That hurt, but he nodded. “Sorry. Rose. You good?”
She shrugged. “I guess.”
“I’m glad to see you. You look good. Arm heal up alright?”
She shrugged again. Okay. He’d let her be.
Holly spoke up then. “Her arm’s fine. And she sang last night at the Christmas Chorale. Had a solo.”
Show turned back to Rosie— Rose. “That’s great, girl. Would’ve loved to see it.
Again, a shrug. Show decided that he would enjoy her company, no matter how sullen. He wondered how much of Rose’s attitude had come from Holly sharing things she shouldn’t. If that’s what it was, he wondered why Iris had been immune. Or had Holly only shared her feelings with Rose, Rose being older?
Either way, he had to find a way to undo the damage.
He put his arm around Rose’s resistant shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. “Okay, my flowers, get your coats. We’ve got shopping to do.”
oOo
Show hated malls. He’d only been to one other, the big one in Springfield, and he’d only gone there rarely. This one in Little Rock was bigger and extremely crowded on the Saturday before Christmas. But Iris was having a great time, talking virtually nonstop about school and ballet lessons—which were new. She’d filled in for Rosie—Rose—too, talking about choir and horseback riding and a boy she liked (which got her a punch from her big sister). Rose herself stayed quiet, but Show thought he saw a little thaw as the morning aged into noon—the occasional start of a smile at something he said, or simply a relaxing of her tense posture.
She’d spoken only rarely so far. The most she’d said was when they’d gotten out of his truck. His kutte was folded on the back of the bench seat, and Iris had jostled it as she’d slid out behind him. When Show picked it up and pulled it out, intending to refold it and put it in his truck box, Rose had said, “Please don’t wear your kutte, Dad.”
She’d sounded worried. But he’d smiled and put it away. “Don’t worry, girl. I don’t show colors out of town unless I’m on club business or on my bike. Remember?”
Her response to that was a shrug, but she looked relieved. Looked like Holly had infected Rosie with her fear and loathing of the club. He wanted to blame her for that, but he couldn’t. They’d been targeted because of the Horde. Even if she hadn’t hated the club before, how else would she feel after that?
For the most part, he talked with Iris and followed both girls through the infuriating crush of people while they did their shopping. They were organized—both had lists, and both were keeping good track of the money they had to spend. Show considered offering to buy their gifts or at least augment their funds, but he decided against it. It smacked of bribery, and he wanted his girls back on true terms.
He did, however, intend to give them Christmas gifts himself. They were having lunch at a 50s-themed restaurant in a corner of the mall, where Iris squealed with glee when she learned that not only did she get a vanilla shake with a mountain of whipped cream and two cherries, but she also got the metal cup in which the shake was mixed, which held another whole shake. Show laughed at her delight and her chatter, feeling how much he’d missed her open enthusiasm for everything, her easy trust and bright humor. She was a helluva kid. Rose had warmed up some, enough to order lunch and ask him to ask the waitress if she could substitute salad for fries. She ate mostly in silence, but Iris was talking enough for everyone, anyway. And a couple of times, he met Rose’s eyes, and he thought she might have smiled. A little.