“What brings you into my bookstore today, young man?” Cassie moved from behind the counter to kiss Matt’s cheek and give him a hug.
“I just had lunch at The Sands and was on my way back to work so I thought I’d stop in to say hey.” He turned at the sound of his name as his other sister-in-law came in. “I’m surrounded by Chase women. How are you feeling, darlin’?”
Liv accepted his kiss and gave one to Cassie, who rubbed Liv’s stomach.
“I’m fine. That damned brother of yours and his super sperm. Who’da thought he’d have knocked me up so fast.” Liv patted the barely perceptible swell of her belly.
“You said you wanted a husband and a family. Well, there you go. No April Fool’s for your ovaries.” Cassie winked.
“And all within four months. Marc moves fast.” Matt was thrilled for his brother and Liv. Another grandchild for his parents and another niece or nephew to join Nicholas.
“Yeah, like honeymoon fast. Cassie got a tan on her honeymoon, I got a fetus!”
Suddenly, the screech of tires and screams sounded from outside. Matt turned and saw a car accident through the windows of the store. “Call 911!” he yelled as he headed toward the door.
He saw a woman lying in the street and his heart sped as his professional side took over.
“Everyone needs to back up. An ambulance is on the way.” He knelt next to the woman, who groaned and put her hand up to her face. A trickle of blood oozed from a cut on her forehead. “Miss, how are you feeling?”
Her eyes fluttered open, bright blue eyes, and widened for a moment before she tried to sit up.
“No, stay still. I don’t want you to move until I know more.” Quickly and efficiently, he skimmed his hands over her. She’d received some abrasions on the backs of her arms where the pavement had ripped her shirtsleeves.
“I’m all right. Really. He wasn’t even going that fast.”
“What happened?” Shane jogged up as the ambulance arrived.
An elderly woman who’d apparently seen the accident came forward to explain as Matt and Shane helped the paramedics. “Charlie pulled away from the curb and Tate here got jostled. Bunch of boys from the high school on skateboards. Rushing to get back to school I’d wager. Anyway, looked to me like they rushed past and she got pushed out into traffic. He couldn’t have been going too fast.”
“Those boys need to be put in jail!” one of the gathered people called out.
“No, no, they didn’t mean to hurt me. Honestly. They’re just silly kids doing silly kid stuff. I’m just a bit scuffed up,” the woman, the witness had called her Tate, said from the gurney.
“Miss Murphy, I’ll send someone to the hospital to take your statement. Just get yourself over there and get checked. Don’t worry about anything else just now,” Shane reassured her and Matt closed the doors to the ambulance and stepped back.
“I’ve got to get back to the station. I’ll talk to you later. I didn’t see anything but if you need a statement, you know where I’m at.”
* * *
No freaking way did Matt Chase rub up all over her while she lay sprawled in the street like a drunken hobo! Tate couldn’t believe her luck. The closest she’d ever been to the man and of course she had to have a torn shirt, bleeding face and her back-of-the-drawer panties. Special. Well, okay, so he didn’t see her panties or anything but she’d known they were on. And she’d noticed, as Tim had insisted on driving her home, she’d spilled something or other on her shirt.
“Tate, honey, I doubt he noticed the stain on your shirt.” Anne laughed as Tate regaled her with the story the following day.
“Well, I suppose I should be glad I didn’t toot or have a giant booger or something.”
Anne snorted. “I can’t believe you got hit by a car. What’s the world coming to when teenaged boys shove a woman into the path of an oncoming car?”
“Drama much? They didn’t shove me into the street and Charlie Wilks was doing five miles an hour tops. Which is only two miles an hour slower than he drives at full speed. He’s a hundred-and-fifty years old, I’m just glad he stopped instead of thinking I was a blonde-headed speed bump.”
“I still think you should have pressed charges.”
“Their parents made them come to my house and apologize. Really, Anne, they were sorry. And Tim scowled at them extra hard. You know that face.”
“One of the only helpful things any of us got from Dad,” Anne mumbled.
“I don’t suppose either one of them bothered to call,” Jill called out from her perch in the window seat, looking up from a book.
“Good Lord, go back to school already.” Beth bustled past and put towels at everyone’s stations. “You know they didn’t and thank God for that. Mom is off with some dude in Dallas and Dad is in the bottom of a bottle. I doubt they even know Tate moved out much less got hit by a car.”
“Children, please.” Tate sighed as she shook her head. Jacob and Jill had come back to town immediately when they’d heard about the accident. Jacob was out working with Tim for the day at his plumbing business and Jill was doing some studying.
“Ahh, my ten o’clock is here.” Anne turned and smiled as Polly Chase came click-clacking into the shop. “Good morning, Mrs. Chase! How are you today?”
Polly patted her hair and smiled. “I’m good, sugar. I’ve got a bit of a dent here in the back so I need a good, solid re-do from you. My roots may be in need of a bit of TLC too.” She winked and Tate grinned. If there was a person who could resist Polly Chase, Tate hadn’t met them yet.
“Good morning, Tate, honey. I hear you had a little run-in with Charlie’s front bumper yesterday. You all right?” Polly’s cheeky mood softened into concern. Tate was nearly as short as Polly so it wasn’t hard to let herself get pulled into a hug.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just a bump on the head. Both your sons were there to help though.”
Polly brightened. Tate did love that about Mrs. Chase—the way she doted on her family. What she wouldn’t have given to have a mother like her instead of what they all got in Tina.
“Shane’s the one who told me, but I haven’t seen any of my other boys.”
“Matt helped until the ambulance got there. He was very gentle.” And he smelled really good.
“He’s a good boy. They all are. I’m glad you’re all right, honey. I would have called you right away last night but Maggie said she talked with Nathan and all your siblings were on the job. If you need anything at all don’t you hesitate to ask.” Of course, Nathan, Tate’s brother the teacher, worked with Maggie and would have told her all about it. Small town gossip moved fast.
“Thank you, Mrs. Chase. I appreciate that.”
Anne helped Polly to the shampoo station. Draping her to protect her clothes, she got to work while Beth went to mix the color they’d need.
Tate had several cuts right in a row and kept busy for the rest of the day, in between her siblings dropping by the shop to check in on her.
At two-thirty she swapped out her teal-blue kitten heel slides for a pair of sneakers. “I’m going to pick Belle, Sally and Danny up from school. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Let me do it,” Jill piped up.
“Look here, missy, you have an exam you need to study for. You shouldn’t even be here. I can walk the four blocks to the grade school and pick them up and take them to William and Cindy’s. Same as I do every Wednesday.”
“You will not.” Anne came into the reception area. “William is picking the kids up. I told you that this morning. Tate, you got hit by a car. A. Car. You can cut yourself a one-day break.”
“I made a commitment. They expect Aunt Tate to pick them up every Wednesday. Just as Uncle Nathan picks them up on Tuesdays and Auntie Beth on Fridays and mommies and daddies on other days. That’s what family does. We keep our promises and we don’t let each other down.”
Anne pulled Tate into a hug and said softly into her ear, “You’re not drunk or passed out in some hotel room with a stranger and they’re not starving. Tate, honey, your family never doubts for a millisecond your commitment to them. We know. Belle, Sally, Danny and Shaye know you love them but got hurt yesterday. Let us help you for a change.”
As she’d done many times in her life, she let her family make her feel better.
* * *
By the end of the day she was glad she’d listened because her muscles ached and her head hurt. The doctor had said she’d most likely have some soreness and a headache for a while on and off. She took some pain reliever and hoped for a quiet night for a change.
Jill drove her back home and Tate spent the last bit of nagging time to convince her sister and brother to get back to Atlanta and to school.
“After dinner though.” Jill grinned.
Tate was good at three things—cutting hair, dancing and cooking. She was so good at it her siblings, even as adults, could be found at her dinner table any given day of the week. She took great pride in these things. It was a good thing to have skills that made you happy and people could always use a meal, a bit of dancing and a trim. It wasn’t rocket science but it made Tate special.
The driveway already had two cars in it and Tate smiled, the tiredness ebbing as she found comfort in those people she loved most. Except for Tim, her siblings were almost like her children and rather than feeling burdened by it, it buoyed her, anchored and strengthened her.
Her house, a neat little bungalow in that area of town that hovered between decent neighborhood and neighborhood in decline, was her proudest possession, even more than the shop. It wasn’t much. Just two bedrooms, a small living and dining room, but the kitchen was big and the bathroom was too.
She’d decided on a pretty butter yellow with light blue trim on the shutters. She was no green thumb though so William, a baker and gardener extraordinaire, took pity and did all the planting and managing of her yard.
It was her oasis from the world and was quite frequently teeming with Murphys. Luckily, while the house was small, the lot it sat on was gargantuan. She had a big, fenced-in backyard so her nieces and nephew could come over and play any time they wanted. Which was often enough she had a toy box in her living room and a play set out back.
“Looks like you’re not the only one who wants to eat at my table tonight.”
Jill laughed as she pulled Tate’s car into her spot closest to the house. “Duh. You feeling okay? We can get takeout too. It’s really just that I’d like to spend some more time with you before we go back tonight.”
“I’m good. I just had a headache but it’s going away now. I expect some food will help.”
The scent of freshly baked bread greeted her when she walked inside. Nathan smiled from the kitchen. “Hey, sweetie. William brought several loaves of bread by. He said he’d see you tomorrow and to call if you need anything. I told him Jill and Jake are going back tonight and I’m sleeping over here so he didn’t have to worry.”
Nathan looked like he’d be the most laid-back of the whole Murphy crew but in reality, aside from Tate, he was the most tenacious. She knew he’d sleep on her porch if she didn’t give him the guest room so she didn’t bother arguing.
“Thank you, Nate. I don’t need it. I’m fine, of course, but as no one is listening to me, I’ll save my breath. And yes, Jill and Jake are going back after dinner.”
Beth wandered in and absently pressed a hand to Tate’s forehead. “You’re warm and you look tired. Why don’t we get takeout?”
“Yes. I’m calling right now. China Gate I think.” Jill pulled out a menu and began to consult with Nathan. Tate just shook her head.
“Fine. Get extra egg rolls. I am going to bake some cookies though. Chocolate chip with walnut and oatmeal peanut butter chip I think.”
“Dang, I think so too.” Jacob walked into the living room, hair still wet from the shower. “Don’t worry, the car is packed. I know you’re kicking us out after we eat. But I wouldn’t look amiss at some cookies to take home.” He sent her puppy dog eyes.
She changed clothes and got started on the cookies. It didn’t take long, she tended to have a basic mix in her fridge or freezer to add extras to because she baked so often.
Her siblings cleared the dining room table and laid out plates as she changed out baking sheets and cooled the cookies.
“Wow, you’re sending that many home with us? You rock.”
Tate rolled her eyes at Jacob. “No. You can have a third. Nate can take another third to his class, you said they had some kind of math-olympics thing, right? And the last third is a thank-you for the firefighter who helped me yesterday after the accident.”
They ate a big dinner and saw Jill and Jacob off clutching enough food for the next few days. Beth left for her apartment a few blocks away and Nathan bunked down in her guestroom.
Tate sat in bed and stared at the television for a while, letting the cherished silence settle in around her. She had a very full and satisfying professional and personal life with her family. And yet, something was missing. She saw Anne with her boyfriend, Tim with Susan and William with Cindy and she wanted that too. She wanted a man to come home to. She wanted children of her own.
Would she ever have that? Would a fluffy girl like her be able to find a man who’d want the whole package? So okay, Tate knew she was a big girl and most days she was okay with that. She didn’t really have problems being fat. She didn’t even have issues with the word fat unless her father was the one using it. Using it to slap her, to punish her for not breaking, for helping the others survive.
But it wasn’t just the abundant curves, it was the seven siblings, two sisters-in-law and their children.
It wasn’t like her family was meddlesome so much as they were all very involved in each others’ lives. Tate didn’t have many friends she wasn’t related to. Some men she’d dated had a problem with that. They’d felt like they didn’t fit in or that she didn’t drop everything for them. When she thought about the man she wanted to share her life with, she knew she wanted to share her family with him too. Wanted him to think those things were as important as she did.
She yawned so wide her jaw popped but at least it shook her out of her thoughts. Gawd, clearly the accident was making her maudlin. Time to go to sleep.