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Jake sighed and melted out the door, back into the chaos of the rummage sale. The buzz of conversation had elevated to a dull roar in the acoustically challenged community hall. Jake ducked around a gaggle of women arguing over which purse would be the right size for the LSU home opener that week end and ran right into his brother John.
"Here, hold her,'' his brother said, shoving Jake's five-month-old niece into his arms. Lindsay cooed and gave him a drooling grin. “I gotta pi ..Um, I mean I have to go to the restroom.”
“Wait-“ Jake said, tucking the receipt tape under his arm and moving the baby to his left arm.
Lindsay smacked him in the face with a wet hand as her father disappeared in a sea of ladies. The baby hit him again.
“Hey, there, Linds, don’t go abusing your poor Uncle Jake,” he said smiling at the baby who had wisps of blonde hair sticking up all over her head. Her blue eyes crinkled in mirth as she smacked him again.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” He asked, tickling her round little belly, earning a squeal.
“Well, if that don’t melt an old woman’s heart,” someone said from behind him.
He turned to find Carla Stanton standing behind him, a smile on her normally grim face.
“Hey, there, Mrs. Stanton. How are you this mornin’?” he asked, trying to keep Lindsay’s baby fingers from creeping into his mouth.
“Pretty fair. My headache’s not as bad today. My blood pressure has been out of whack,” she said, her eyes on the baby and not him. “That’s John’s baby, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, juggling the squirming baby who had fastened her eyes on Carla and babbled at the woman as if she had something to tell her.
Carla was John’s late mother-in-law, who had caused his brother a lot of trouble when he’d gone a little crazy in his grief and accidentally knocked up Shelby. Bitter with pain over the death of her only child, she'd held on tight to the idea John couldn’t… wouldn't be happy if her daughter couldn't be happy. Hadn't mattered that Rebecca was dead. But Shelby, Jake's vivacious, generous new sister-in-law, had taken the high road, insisting they name their daughter in remembrance of the woman who John had loved and lost. Lindsay Rebecca Beauchamp was radiantly untouched by the pettiness of adults and turned all her adorableness on the older woman who'd nearly ruined her mother's life.
Carla watched the baby, a small smile on her lips. "She 's a pretty baby."
"Yeah, she is. Takes after her uncle Jake, of course," Jake said, making a face at Lindsay. "Don't you?"
The baby smacked him again and laughed. Carla's smile grew.
"Here, you want to hold her?" he asked, shoving Lindsay at the woman. Her hands came up to hold the little girl, likely out of self-preservation.
"Oh, no, I shouldn't- " she started just as he withdrew his hands from around his niece.
The baby stared at Carla for a few seconds before babbling something.
''Oh, really?" the older woman said to the baby, smiling and nodding her head. "I didn't know."
Jake scanned the room and saw Shelby watching them. She caught his eye and smiled, a sort of secret knowing in her eyes.
"I'm gonna hand off this tape to Matt and I'll be right back. You got her?" he asked.
"Of course I have Lindsay Rebecca. We're already old friends, and I certainly know how to take care of a sweet baby girl,''Carla said, catching the hand the baby lifted to smack her and giving it a kiss.
So she knew the baby's name? Huh.
Jake hustled over to his brother, who had started beckoning him frantically. A line had formed and he looked harried. Jake tossed him the roll of tape, which he deftly caught. Matt was the athlete of the family. Though both Jake and John had been fairly proficient, Matt had been the star, netting a scholarship to play football at Tulane. He might have gone pro as a tight end if he hadn't blown out one of his knees.
''Thanks," Matt called.
"No problem,'' Jake said, turning back so he could take his niece from Carla. But John had already arrived and stood in conversation with his former mother-in-law. So Jake turned, intending to hunt down Eva, but Fancy appeared at his side like a specter from long ago.
Woo woo woo woooo. Woo, woo, woo, woooo.
The‘Twilight Zonetheme song played in his mind.
"So what's going on with you and Eva? That was weird back there,'' his mother said.
"Jesus, Mom, you couldn't wait until-" he glanced down at the watch that wasn't on his arm since he didn't like to wear a watch like most guys "- seven minutes had passed? They should use you down at the police department. I'll talk to Uncle Sam about putting you on the force."
