An Unexpected Blessing
Chapter 7
For the next two weeks Jethro was covered up with work or the house and didn't spend much time with Holly and Logan. Two of Mark's guys came down with some sort of flu or something and couldn't work so progress on the house was slow. Jethro was doing what he could after work but he was also working cases which meant he wasn't getting any sleep most nights. The only decent food he got was when he could have supper with Holly. He managed to get there most nights but he usually left right after supper. He wasn't spending as much time with Logan as he'd like but he figured getting the house done would help fix that. He also wasn't spending as much time with Holly as he'd like; their nightly visits and talks were non-existent at this point. That worried him some but he put that to the back of his mind for the time being.
After two weeks of Jethro showing up for supper and then leaving Holly had had about all that she wanted. She couldn't get Jethro to tell her what was going on except to say he was working. She knew cases often took all his time even after hours but two weeks solid seemed extreme. She decided two weeks was enough so she planned to sit Jethro down on the weekend and get him to explain himself. On Friday of the second week of Jethro's disappearing act, she happened to run into Ali when she went to see her attorney. She and Ali were once again in the same elevator and she decided to take advantage of the chance meeting.
"Allison, could I see you today when I get through with my attorney?"
"Sure, come down. I'll be here until 5:00. Will that work for you?"
"Yes, I'm sure I'll be through before then."
About 4:30 Holly arrived at Ali's office. Logan was awake and babbling in the stroller. She wheeled him into the office and she and Ali sat on the couch by the window. Holly took Logan out of the stroller and held him on her lap.
"Oh my gosh, he is so cute. He does look like Jethro doesn't he?"
"I think so. Maybe it's the eyes but I think he definitely looks like his daddy."
"Daddy. I still have trouble thinking of Jethro as a daddy. He loves that title of course. I'm sure you know that."
"Yes, he does. But…"
"Okay, what has he done?"
Holly laughed and said, "You do know Jethro well don't you?"
"Yes I do. I'm happy to be able to say that. I love Jethro but I know he comes with some challenges. Are things not going well?"
"I thought everything was going very well but now I'm not so sure. First, let me say Jethro and I agree that we want to parent this little guy together. I have told Jethro I want us to take things slowly and he has been fine with that."
Holly stopped to get Logan a bottle and get him settled it.
"I take it something has happened to make you think otherwise."
"Maybe I'm over thinking this but let me tell you what's been going on. When I came back and introduced Jethro to Logan he was totally accepting and immediately wanted to spend time with Logan. He started coming to my house after work. We would have supper together and then he'd spend some time with Logan, give him a bath and read to him then rock him until Logan fell asleep. Then he and I would spend time together talking and trying to sort out how to go forward together. Things were going very well. Jethro and I had date nights on a couple of Saturdays that were fun and relaxing. What concerns me is that the last two weeks Jethro has come for supper but then he leaves without spending any time with Logan or me. He says he's working and he is exhausted all the time. I know his job can be all-consuming but I don't think it's work that's the problem."
Of course, Ali knew exactly what the problem was; Jethro hadn't told Holly what he was doing at the house. She was very tempted to tell her what the problem was but she knew it was not her place to do so. She could however, arrange for Holly to find out on her own.
"I think I know what's going on and I promise it's nothing bad. What time does Jethro usually show up at your house?"
"Usually between 5:30 and 6:00."
"Here's what I suggest. Give Jethro a call and tell him you won't be home this evening. That way he'll go home and you'll be sitting in the driveway waiting for him. All your questions will be answered then. I know that sounds sort of mysterious but trust me; you'll be glad you did this."
Holly sat back and smiled at Ali. She felt like the two of them were plotting against Jethro and she sort of liked the idea.
"Ooh, I like this. Thank you, Allison."
"You must call and give me all the details afterward."
Holly laughed and said she would definitely do that. Logan was finished with his bottle and was wiggling around on his mom's lap. Allison reached out and asked, "May I hold him?"
Holly handed Logan over and said, "I'll call Jethro right now."
Allison took Logan over to look out the window and Holly stepped to the other side of the room and called Jethro.
"Hey, what's goin' on?"
"Jethro, I wanted to let you know I won't be home this evening. I have a late appointment with my attorney so sorry, no supper tonight."
"That's okay. Everything okay?"
"Yes, just finishing up the paperwork for Logan's trust. Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Sure. Wanna take a picnic up to Burke Lake?"
"Yes, that would be fun. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Good deal. Talk to you later."
Holly would have said goodbye but of course Jethro had already disconnected. Allison was smiling while she listened to Holly's side of the conversation. She wished she could be there when Jethro got home and found Holly waiting for him.
"Are you sure I should surprise Jethro at home?"
"I am. I promise you'll be glad you did. You know where he lives, right?"
"Yes, he took me there once when we were working on the case."
"Good. Now, shall we go have a quick snack and a drink to kill some time before you go?"
"That would be great. You know, I love being home with Logan but it will be nice to have a conversation with an adult."
"You mean your conversations with Jethro aren't enough?"
Holly couldn't help but laugh along with Allison. "They are a bit more challenging than I'm up for sometimes but I have to say he has been really good about talking about what he wants for Logan. And for us too."
"Good. He can be very insightful and thoughtful when he puts his mind to it."
"Yes, he can."
The two women left the office and met again at a small restaurant not far from Allison's office. Once they were settled they ordered some appetizers and a glass of wine each. Logan was asleep in the stroller next to the table.
"Can you imagine what Jethro would think if he walked in and saw us sitting here together?"
Holly laughed, "I imagine he would want to stay but would likely just turn around and go home."
"Yes, probably. I hope you know that when I said earlier that I love Jethro you know I didn't mean that in a romantic way. Jethro and I had a great time together for several months but we both knew it wasn't going to a happily-ever-after type of thing. I'm very happy for you Holly and I want nothing more than for you and Logan to be Jethro's family forever."
"Thank you. That's what I want too but as I told Jethro, I just want to go slowly. My concern is Jethro's past experience with marriage. If it was just me I wouldn't be so reluctant but with Logan in the mix I have to be sure Jethro is totally committed to not only Logan but to me as well. After all, if I were to go, Logan would go with me."
"That is not something Jethro would ever let happen. By that I mean he would never let things get to the point where you felt like you had to leave. You probably know there were no children in any of Jethro's marriages after Shannon. Has he talked about that?"
"No. I knew that was the case but we haven't talked about the reason for that."
"You know about Shannon and Kelly right?"
"Yes, we have talked about that horrible situation."
"So, you probably realize that Jethro blamed himself for their deaths for years. He grieved for Kelly long after he managed to get past Shannon's death. I'd say he still grieves for what was lost when Kelly died."
"Yes, I agree with you. I think I see that in him when he looks at Logan."
"I'm sure you do. I think that's why there were never any more children. He couldn't bear that thought of losing another child even through a divorce. I think he knew his marriages weren't forever so he avoided that by not becoming a father again."
"I'm guessing the wives felt the same way. After all, didn't Diane get pregnant pretty soon after she and the FBI guy got married?"
"Yes, that's right. That's such a crazy thing; Jethro's best friend marrying his ex-wife. Sounds like a movie."
"I know. I feel like Jethro and I will be fine and before too long we'll be trying figure out the details of making a life together."
"I agree. Now, tell me what Jethro's reaction was when you told him about Logan."
"I wish I'd had a camera ready. The look on his face was basically just blank. I started by saying that when I left here I was pregnant. He didn't register what that meant for him at first. He just sat there looking at me so I plowed ahead and told him he had a son. He was so shocked because we had only been together one time."
"Did he ask any questions?"
"He finally asked where Logan was and I took him to Logan's room where he as napping. I picked him up and handed him to Jethro and he sat in the rocking chair with him for almost an hour. It was terribly sweet."
"I thought he might be angry you didn't call him and I'm glad he wasn't."
"I was worried about that too and he had every right to be but I'm happy to say he hasn't expressed any anger at all. I know he is disappointed to have missed the first several months of Logan's life but he seems to be accepting it."
"I think he missed a lot of Kelly's infant years so I'm glad he's spending time with Logan. This will all work out fine don't worry."
Holly asked about her new condo and Allison showed her some pictures and thanked her for the referral for the painter. She said Mr. Griggs had given her a very reasonable estimate and was going to start the job on Monday. She told Holly she liked the color she had used but agreed with her that a shade darker was better. She showed Holly a paint chip of the color she'd chosen.
"Oh, I like that better too. It has just a bit of blue in it. Great choice. Did you do the whole house that color?"
"Yes. It's still pretty neutral so I think I can use lots of different accent colors around."
When the food and drink were gone it was time for Holly to head to Jethro's house. She thanked Allison for her time and conversation.
"I hope we can continue to talk sometimes, Allison. I really appreciate your help today."
"Oh, we'll be friends for sure. If for no other reason than it will drive Jethro crazy."
The two women laughed as they went to their cars. Allison wished she could hide in the bushes and see Jethro's face when he saw Holly in the driveway. Instead, she found Mark's card in her purse and called him and suggested he might want to be gone when Holly arrived.
"I know Jethro wanted to surprise his lady with the house when it's finished but she'll be there when he gets home tonight. Could you and your guys be gone by 5:00 tonight?"
"I'll let the guys go but I need to talk to Jethro and he's expecting me to be here when he gets home."
"Oh shoot. I didn't want Holly to find you there."
"Holly? As in Holly Snow? That's who Jethro's doing this for?"
"Yes, he didn't tell you? Oops. Well, you'd know pretty soon anyway. Do me a favor and act surprised when you see her."
"Sure thing. Okay, I'll go get something to eat and come back about 5:30 or when I see their cars there. Will that work?"
"That will be perfect. Thanks Mark."
Allison reluctantly went home leaving Holly to discover Jethro's surprise on her own. She hoped to hear the details from Holly later and she was pretty sure she'd hear from Jethro sooner or later. She was looking forward to that conversation.
TBC