5. Brad

5

brAD

B rad pulled up in front of Trinity Falls Elementary School with that familiar sense of excitement filling him, as if he were still a small boy excited to run onto the playground and join his friends.

“What if I’m nervous every day?” Josie asked suddenly from the back seat, pulling him into the present.

“You?” Brad teased her. “You make friends wherever you go. I’m not a bit worried. This time tomorrow, you’ll be flying out of the car, and you won’t even have a second to say goodbye to your old dad.”

She didn’t reply, which was out of character. He frowned as he got her out and checked that she had her backpack. It was awfully cold out for early December. A frigid breeze seemed to move right through him, jacket and all, and he was glad he’d gotten Josie a hat she loved, so he knew she would wear it at recess.

“I don’t want to go in,” Josie said flatly when he had her settled on the sidewalk with all her stuff .

“Did eating all those pancakes make you too sleepy for school?” he teased, trying to get a smile out of her.

“We were happy in the city,” Josie said, not taking the bait. “We had a good thing going with my school there, and Jillian, and your work. Why are we even doing this?”

“You love Trinity Falls,” Brad said, feeling completely confused. “Our family is here, and we have the whole homestead to explore and enjoy. I don’t understand, Josie. I thought this was what you wanted. It was all you talked about when you came home after the holidays last year.”

“I’m going to be late,” she said sadly, before turning on her heel and marching off to the school he had loved so much as if she were going to prison.

He jogged after her, worry clouding his mind. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea after all. Maybe he should have stayed with the firm in the city.

At least I didn’t sell the penthouse yet…

“Bradley Williams,” a familiar voice said.

He looked up and into the warm gaze of Principal Tucker, who was smiling at him fondly.

“Hi,” he said, trying desperately to pull himself together. “It’s great to see you, Principal Tucker. This is my daughter, Josie.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Josephine,” the principal said, turning to Josie.

“Hi,” Josie said plainly.

Brad could only blink at her in surprise. Josie was always warm and polite. And Principal Tucker was so friendly and looked so nice in her lavender suit.

“Why don’t we come inside?” the principal suggested. “We’ve been expecting you, Josephine. Two other fourth graders are in the lobby right now, waiting to take you to class and answer any questions you might have. And I’d like to talk with your dad for a few minutes.”

Josie nodded without answering and Brad swallowed the urge to scold her. She was nervous. That had to be it.

Though he doubted it. Josie had never been one to shy away from new people and experiences.

Principal Tucker opened the front door, and they headed inside together. Instantly, Brad was transported back to childhood. He smiled when he saw that the layout was the same, and children’s artwork still lined the walls.

Two kids, a girl and a boy, were waiting by the office door.

“Hi, Josie, I’m Martin,” the boy said.

“And I’m Penny,” the girl added. “Do you want to see our classroom and meet the teacher?”

“I guess,” Josie said in a bored way.

Penny’s eyebrows shot up, but she nodded, and then she and Martin headed down the hall with Josie following, as stalwart as a soldier heading into enemy territory.

Brad’s heart ached that she hadn’t even turned to wave to him.

“Big day for her,” Principal Tucker said. “Why don’t you come into my office, and we’ll catch up?”

He followed her through the reception area and into her office.

The small space was a cozy jumble of photos and student artwork on the walls, but the desk was perfectly tidy and organized, with a sleek laptop, a small pad with a pen beside it, and a framed needlepoint that rea d

Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

- Desmond Tutu

Brad smiled at the familiar sight. The background fabric was a little yellowed, and the stitches had faded since his time at the school, but it was comforting to see the principal still lived by the same motto.

“My mother made it for me when I told her I wanted to teach,” she said fondly now, gazing down at it herself. “It’s a wonderful reminder of why I’m here every day.”

“I’m worried about Josie,” Brad heard himself say suddenly.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she replied. “But this is a big change for her. It may take time for her to adjust.”

“She spent the holidays here last year,” he said, wondering how it was that this older lady was so easy to talk with when he still saw her as an authority figure. “She loved it—hasn’t stopped talking about it since. And she was so excited when I first told her we were moving, but then something changed. I guess actually leaving the only home she’s ever known is hard.”

“I understand her mother isn’t in the picture,” the principal said without a hint of judgement in her voice. “Is there anyone else important she’s leaving behind?”

“Jillian,” he heard himself say reverently.

“A friend?” the principal wanted to know.

“Jillian has been her nanny since she was a tiny baby,” Brad said. “She wanted to be a writer and she basically sidelined her own dreams to rescue us. We obviously adore her, but we can’t hold her back anymore. It wouldn’t be right.”

Why am I telling her all this?

“I see,” Principal Tucker said, nodding. “Did she have a chance to say a proper goodbye? Closure is very important in such a special relationship.”

“She actually came here with us,” Brad said. “Josie was so heartbroken that Jillian offered to spend one last Christmas with us, so they could do all their traditions one last time.”

“She sounds like a very special person,” Principal Tucker said approvingly.

“She’s… well, she’s been everything to us,” Brad said, suddenly feeling lost himself. “It’s hard to imagine life without her.”

“I think it’s good that she’s here to share the holidays,” Principal Tucker said. “But you should be sure that you change up those traditions. Make room for yourself and your family in them so that Josie is ready for a fresh start when Jillian heads back to the city.”

“That’s a great idea,” Brad said, thunderstruck. “We were planning for me to just sort of learn how they do everything.”

“Something new might be enough to help Josie feel some of the good that comes with a new home,” the principal suggested.

Brad nodded, his mind already filling with ideas.

“So, if I asked you right now if I saw Josie at her best today, what would you say?” the principal asked.

“Absolutely not,” he told her. “She’s normally bright and kind and enthusiastic. Nothing like she was this morning. If she didn’t ride here with me, I’d think she was someone else completely.”

“I’ve got her file from her old school,” Principal Tucker said, patting her laptop. “And that makes sense with all they had to say about her. I know we’ve had some rowdy Williams kids in this school, but I don’t expect Josie to have any trouble in that regard.”

“I agree,” Brad said. “She’s behaving out of character today, but I don’t think she would ever be loud or disruptive.”

“Excellent,” the principal said. “Well, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on her here at school. I suspect a good academic challenge will be enough to cheer her up. And I know you’ll do all you can to help her feel at home here in town.”

“Thank you,” Brad said, wishing he could truly express to this wise woman how much he appreciated her. “Thank you for giving Josie the benefit of the doubt.”

“I’ll bet she’s her father’s daughter,” the principal said, standing with a smile. “Curious and smart as a whip. We’ve been very proud to follow your career here, you know?”

“Thank you,” Brad said, surprised and gratified. “The whole foundation started here.”

“Well now that’s the best compliment an educator can hear,” the principal said. “I’ll walk you out.”

Brad felt a tug in his chest. It didn’t quite feel right to leave Josie here when she wasn’t at her best.

“We’ll keep a sharp eye on her, sweetheart,” Principal Tucker told him, taking his arm as if she had just read his mind. “I’m going to pop up and have a quick word with her teacher now, so she knows Josie isn’t feeling herself today. We’ll do all we can to help her let her hair down.”

A few hours later, Brad stood on the second floor of one of the big buildings on Ambler Road during his second big task of the day.

Though he had expected the space to be dark, the large windows on the front of the building let in brilliant light as well as a view over Ambler. If he looked to the right, he could see the train station, and the fields of the community college campus.

Turning back, he took in the massive open floor plan. It was empty, so he could see every imperfection in the wide pine floors and every lump in the plaster walls. But he had worked enough projects to recognize a space with potential when he saw one. And if there were a few dark corners, that was nothing a few lamps and some flowers couldn’t fix.

Fresh-cut flowers always brighten up a dark space.

How many times had he heard Jillian say that over the years?

And why had it taken him so long to realize it was never the flowers that had brightened the dark spaces in his life?

“I like this better than the others personally,” his real estate agent said quietly. “To me, it’s worth climbing stairs to be right in the town center. And Pura Vida doesn’t make a lot of noise.”

“Agreed, Sloane,” he replied, smiling at the idea of the little dress shop below making a lot of noise. “And you’re sure the floor above is included?”

“It sure is,” Sloane said. “The owner expected that the tenant might want to live above their business. Though of course I know you have your own space at the homestead.”

The apartment above was really nice and would have been perfect if he and Josie didn’t already have a home waiting for them.

“Honestly, for me it’s better to try and leave work at work,” he said, chuckling.

“I agree,” Sloane said, nodding.

Brad wasn’t so sure though. He’d seen her sitting in the window of that real estate office so early in the morning and so late at night that he wondered if she ever got home at all.

“Knock, knock,” someone said from the stairwell.

“Amanda?” Sloane called back.

“Hi, guys,” a pretty blonde lady said, stepping inside. “I just thought I’d stop in and see if you had any questions.”

“Amanda is the owner of the building,” Sloane told Brad.

“You’re familiar,” Brad said. “Are you one of the Luckett girls?”

“I sure am,” Amanda said, her cheeks suddenly looking flushed.

Something about one of those girls having a thing for him back in high school flashed through his mind. He’d been too busy dating Natalie Bell to worry about it. Though that ended with high school, and Natalie was married to Shane Cassidy now.

“What do you think about the place, Brad?” Sloane asked, sounding a little stiff, like she was also aware of some awkward backstory, and trying to help them get past it.

“It’s ideal,” he said. “I guess I’m not supposed to admit that to the owner, but I could really see myself setting up shop here. I don’t need that apartment though.”

“Well, it’s all one thing,” Amanda told him. “I’m not zoned to separate them. You could always use it for storage.”

“That’s true,” he said, hoping one day he would have enough business to need a separate filing area.

“So, is it a go?” Amanda asked, looking excited.

“It’s a maybe,” Brad told her. “I like to sleep on big decisions. But it’s definitely not a no.”

“Well, I probably shouldn’t say this to a potential tenant,” Amanda said with a smile. “But there’s no rush, because no one else is looking at it.”

Brad chuckled and nodded, glad she was being up front.

“I love it when landlords and tenants are careful to be honest with each other,” Sloane said. “If things move forward, you’ll each be relying on the other for a good working relationship, so starting off on the right foot is a great sign, guys.”

“Hey,” Amanda said. “Brad, I’m glad to answer any questions you might have about changes you would want made. And apart from this place, I was wanting to pick your brain about something. Any chance I could treat you to a quick lunch at the Co-op to compare notes?”

“Sure,” he said without thinking twice. “That sounds great. Sloane is that okay with you?”

“Of course,” she said with a smile. “This was our last stop anyway.”

“Do you want to join us?” Amanda asked worriedly. It was clear she wasn’t an experienced landlord, or she would realize her agent might like to be present for any negotiations.

“You two are just brainstorming,” Sloane said right away. “I don’t want to get in the way of that. Just know that anything you want to agree to would have to be possible to commit to writing and conform to zoning. So, once you two have some ideas just give me a call and I’ll run over and join you—whether it’s today or tomorrow.”

“Sloane, you are the best,” Amanda told her, pulling the other woman into a brief hug.

Brad frowned. He thought he remembered Amanda as kind of a cold person—more worried about looks and popularity than real friendships.

People change, he scolded himself.

He had certainly changed—for better and for worse. When Christine took off shortly after Josie’s birth, he realized that he had grown up in a sweet, protective bubble. He was much more guarded now with his emotions, and it took a lot more for others to gain his trust. But being Josie’s dad had also made him more patient and more loving than he had ever been before he saw that sweet little pink face .

So how could he be surprised that Amanda Luckett had changed too?

“Ready?” Amanda asked him.

“Absolutely,” he said.

He followed her down the staircase and into the alley behind the building.

“I can’t believe I’m a landlord,” Amanda confided, as they headed to Park Avenue on the other side of the alleyway. “But it’s actually pretty neat. I like feeling like I own a piece of Trinity Falls.”

“That is pretty neat,” Brad agreed.

“So would you want to make a lot of changes to the space?” Amanda asked as they crossed Park and headed down Columbia to the Co-op.

Reggie Webb was standing outside with a woman, undoubtedly talking her ear off. His eyebrows went up when he caught sight of Brad and Amanda.

Brad felt a pang of annoyance. Reggie loved to gossip. By the end of the day, the whole town would have Brad and Amanda picking out wedding china.

Would it be so bad to date someone? It’s been so long. And maybe it would help get my mind off Jillian…

“I know it’s a lot to think about,” Amanda said apologetically.

He realized that he hadn’t answered her question.

“Sorry,” he told her. “I was lost in thought there. I don’t think I’d want to make a lot of changes, no.”

“Well that’s great,” she said as they climbed the steps up to the Co-op Grocer’s. “The last person who looked at it wanted to put in a kitchen. Thankfully, Sloane talked me out of even looking into it. She said the space is best for a professional—not a big apartment or a take-out place.”

“I think she’s definitely right,” Brad told her. “The space is really nice to meet clients in, and for me to sit and draft too, with that big window.”

They stepped into the Co-op and Brad took in all the changes with appreciation. When he was a boy, it hadn’t been a big, bright space like this with a deli and seating and nearly anything a person might want to buy.

Sometimes change is a good thing.

They got in line at the deli counter and put in their orders. He got a War and Peace-strami bagel and Amanda asked for a One Fish, Tuna Fish salad.

“I still love the names,” Amanda said. “They’re so cheesy, but I don’t care.”

“Always makes me feel like I’m home,” Brad said with a smile.

They headed over to the seating area with their drinks to wait, and Brad couldn’t help noticing that Amanda chose a café table right in the front window.

I guess she’s not worried about the rumor mill either…

“So, what did you want to ask me about?” he asked when they were both seated.

Amanda leaned in, her eyes sparkling with excitement.