The New Year's Date

Chapter 1 The hallway from the foyer to the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church was very busy, and Kate Woods wished she was standing anywhere else. Though she had grown to love this church in the past year or so that she’d been attending, she was not all that fond of the activity going on now. Not only was it Christmas Eve, a particularly difficult night for her, but she was also attending the wedding of two close friends. And weddings were one surefire way to make a rush of memories overcome Kate, usually sending her into a state of melancholy that would last a week or two. If it wasn’t for her adorable daughter, Holly, standing between the bridesmaids at the end of the receiving line, Kate would’ve taken off a long time ago. But Holly was the flower girl in Melody and Reid’s wedding, an honor Kate and Holly had both appreciated, and Kate knew someday she’d look back on this day and smile, thinking of how beautiful her child had looked in a long, white satin dress with layers of tulle, and flowers in her hair. A red sash tied around her waist matched the Christmas colors beautifully, and with her hair styled so that her curls were loose around her face, Holly really did look like an angel. While Holly was best friends with Reid’s son Michael and often spent time at their house, Holly wasn’t one for attention, and having so many eyes on her had made the little girl nervous. Now that the wedding itself was over, Kate could tell she was feeling better, even though her eyes continued to shift to her mother’s face often. Kate smiled at her five-year-old, hoping to reassure her, despite the fact that her own heart felt like it was being crushed by a vice. Had it only been seven and a half years ago she’d been at her own wedding? Now, that carefree time of love and laughter seemed a million miles away. She’d learned so much about how life can kick you in the gut in the years since that happy summer day. She felt like the oldest twenty-seven year old on the planet. Pushing those thoughts aside, Kate tried to tune in to the conversation around her. Though she wasn’t a part of the wedding party, from time to time, someone would stop by and tell her how wonderful Holly had been, so she tried to be attentive. It wasn’t until another familiar voice caught her ear that she realized Holly was talking to another of her friends, Cooper. The little boy was in her class at school and also attended church here with his grandmother and uncle. Cooper was a sweet boy, but it had taken a lot of hard work from his teacher, Isabelle Swanner, who happened to be standing down the hallway a bit, having participated in the wedding herself. If it wasn’t for Cooper’s grandmother and uncle recently moving in, who knew what might’ve happened to the child who lost his mother last year? His behavior had been atrocious until recently. Now, Kate was happy to have him over to play anytime. Kate’s eyes wandered up from the little dark haired boy to the man walking through the receiving line with him and realized this must be his father. Even though Cooper had been attending therapy sessions with Kate for almost a month now, she’d never met Paul Bryant. He was a truck driver and was often out of town. Instead, Cooper was brought to and from therapy by his uncle, Casey, who had played the piano during the ceremony, having stepped in when the original pianist, Mrs. Patricia Gregory, a lovely woman who also attended church here, slipped on the ice and fell on her elbow on her way into the church. At first, Kate had just assumed it was Casey standing next to Holly’s friend, but even from behind she could tell this was the older brother. He was taller, his voice was slightly lower, and perhaps most importantly of all, he had an air about him, one she could identify with more than she was willing to admit. Paul Bryant had the feel about him of a man who had recently lost someone he loved. Despite not being a part of the wedding party itself and trying to stay out of the way, Kate felt she needed to seize this opportunity. Who knew when she might be in Paul Bryant’s presence once again? Just as he finished congratulating the couple and turned to go, she stepped forward. “Wait—you’re Cooper’s dad?” she asked, reaching out and placing her hand gently on his upper arm. He turned slowly, a puzzled expression on his face. She noticed his sad eyes were a shade of blue she’d never seen before, akin to the ocean after a storm. He had a bit of stubble on his chin that made her think he’d shaved recently, but not right before the wedding, and he looked uncomfortable in his suit, almost like it was a size too small. He wasn’t a heavy man, but the paunch at his waist told her he’d been sitting behind the wheel of his eighteen wheeler a little too long; maybe had eaten a few more truck stop dinners than was healthy. His hair was cut unevenly, as if his mother, the sweet older woman standing just down the hall from them, had done it herself, and Paul’s eyes had a bit of red running through them, whether it was from being overly tired or something else, Kate couldn’t say. She saw traces of herself in him, having been the grieving widow only a few years ago and knowing oh too well what it was like to try to put on a friendly face for others when all she really wanted to do was curl into a ball in the corner of her bedroom and wallow in her brokenness. Paul’s puzzled expression morphed. “You’re Holly’s mom?” “I am,” Kate acknowledged. “Kate Woods. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She extended her hand, the same one she’d used to get his attention, and he nodded, a polite smile breaking across his haggard face. He took her hand, but his shake wasn’t firm. She wasn’t surprised; it had to be a bit unsettling, maybe embarrassing, to meet his son’s therapist under such circumstances, in a crowded hallway, especially since he hadn’t returned any of her phone calls. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” Paul replied. Kate took two large steps back away from the wedding party, catching Melody’s eyes for a second. She could tell the bride was curious as to why Kate would want to talk to Paul, but Melody turned her head and greeted the next guest, and Kate tried to remember if Melody knew she had been meeting with Cooper. She wouldn’t be surprised if the whole town knew. That’s how things were in Charles Town. Even though it was a wonderful place to live, everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business. “I’m sorry I haven’t returned any of your calls….” Paul began. “No, it’s okay.” Kate smiled, trying to be reassuring. She didn’t want to give him the impression she was upset by his lack of attentiveness, even though she was. Making him think so would only cause him to become more aloof. “I know you’ve been busy.” He had been so busy, in fact, that Kate had spent the better part of November transporting Cooper home after practice for the kids’ Thanksgiving program at school. She wondered if Paul had been able to attend. She hadn’t seen him, but then, it had been crowded. “I just wanted to introduce myself.” His forced smile seemed to morph into relief as he was able to see that she wasn’t about to scold him for ignoring her messages. “Cooper sure does like coming to see you. And he just adores your Holly.” “Oh, well, we really enjoy having Cooper over to play. And his sessions seem to be going very well. Have you seen any improvement at home?” She wondered if he would even have an answer for that. From what she understood, even when Paul wasn’t driving his truck, he was more interested in shooting pool and hanging out with his friends than spending time with his son. But then, Kate realized grief came in different forms for different people, and it might not be Cooper that Paul was running from. “We’ve definitely seen a change at home,” Paul nodded. “Cooper is a different kid. Between you and Miss Swanner, well, he’s really starting to get his act together.” “That’s wonderful to hear.” Kate smiled, even though she thought there was a chance Paul was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear. “I’m sure they’ll have a blast dancing at the reception.” “Right.” Paul glanced over his shoulder at his son who was holding his grandmother’s hand, twirling around in circles as she attempted to speak to another woman from church. “I’m sure they will.” He straightened his tie and cleared his throat. Kate imagined he was just as uncomfortable about attending the reception as she was. While she had gotten to know some of the people who ran in Melody and Reid’s circle through some other events, they were all a bit younger than her, none of them had any children except Reid, and most had never been married. Nor did most know the sting of losing a spouse. She could see Paul’s level of enthusiasm rivaled her own. Still, she would go because Holly wanted to, and it wouldn’t kill her—which meant it would have to make her stronger, didn’t it? With the warm smile she reserved for her tentative clients, Kate said, “Maybe I’ll see you there? We can hang out and chat about parenting stuff, maybe impress the kids with our knowledge of 1990s trivia.” He chuckled, and though she wasn’t exactly sure, Kate didn’t think it was forced. “I doubt my brother and his friends even remember the turn of the century.” Paul shook his head as if it were all rather pathetic. “Yeah, I’ll see you there.” His smile was a cross between polite duty and a kinship built on Ed, Edd, and Eddie and “Mambo No. 5.” The younger crowd wouldn’t quite identify with them, despite the fact that only a few years separated them; being a kid in the ‘90s was different than growing up post-2000. Kate gave a friendly nod and watched Paul cross to where his mother was standing, leading her over to the coat rack as Cooper switched hands and latched on to his father like he thought he might melt away if he wasn’t thoroughly contained. A sigh escaped her lips. Paul seemed like a nice enough person now that she’d met him, but she also knew he hadn’t been there for his son recently, not since school had started anyway. Her eyes flickered across the small space and landed on Casey, who was standing next to Isabelle, his girlfriend. A lawyer who seemed to completely have his act together, the younger Mr. Bryant was a stark contrast to his older brother, and the psychologist in her wanted to know how this had happened. Had Paul Bryant always been the screw up, the black sheep, or was it the death of his wife that had sent him spiraling over the edge? While she couldn’t be sure, something told Kate he’d always been unable to measure up. Why else was he a truck driver while Casey was opening his own practice here in Charles Town? Whether it was the mystery surrounding Paul Bryant’s metamorphosis into a shell of a man or his cautionary eyes, Kate was intrigued, and despite the fact that she was not at all interested in dating or anything even slightly romantic, she found herself hoping she did, in fact, have a chance to speak to Paul at the reception, even if their conversation revolved around their children and which Spice Girl had been the best singer. Paul Bryant made his way through the crowd of strangers, looking around for his name tag and wondering what in the world he was even doing here. He had never even met the bride and barely knew the groom, having spoken to him once on the phone thanks to his brother mentioning Paul might be looking for a better job. He probably wouldn’t have come to the reception at all if his mother hadn’t insisted. Shirley Bryant had been just thrilled when Reid Perry had called him the week before to talk to him about a potential position at his restoration company. Having a degree in electrical engineering hadn’t done him much good in Charles Town before, and most people who knew Paul thought he was only a truck driver and nothing more. Perhaps that was all he wanted to be since his wife, Tonya, had passed away. Paul knew he’d been running away, but it wasn’t until he realized his son had been part of the wreckage that he’d been forced to take a long hard look at his life. Now, he found himself scrutinizing little paper snowflakes just as closely, trying to determine exactly where it was he was supposed to sit.