9
As she soaked in the tub later that evening, Kristin decided that she needed to talk to Jeremy. There were things they needed to discuss. He had been behaving so out of character since Cole came home. She wasn’t okay with how he was acting. And if she could get over what had happened in the past then it was time Jeremy did, too. She heaved herself out of the now lukewarm water, toweled herself dry and pulled on some sweats and her sneakers.
Just thirty minutes later, she stood on Jeremy’s doorstep. His roommate opened the door. “Hi Charlie, is Jeremy here?” Kristin asked.
“Yep, he’s in the kitchen.” He smiled. “Come on in. Jeremy! Kristin’s here!”
Jeremy walked in and his face lit up. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you until Christmas Eve at church,” he said.
“Well, I want to talk to you,” she said. “Can we maybe go to Benny’s for some wings and nachos?”
“Sure,” he said grabbing his coat. “You do know I am sorry about the other day, don’t you?” He slammed the door behind them.
“Sure.” She bit her lip all the way to Benny’s, wondering how she was going to tell Jeremy that she and Cole had decided to be friends. That would be difficult enough, but she knew Jeremy would balk when she told him she wanted him to back off. She thought it was probably too much to ask for him to welcome that news, but she had to ask. It might be unreasonable to hope for both men to put aside their childhood grudges, just for her.
“So, what’s up, Kris?” Jeremy asked, once they had their food in front of them. “What’s so important that you had to bring me to Benny’s to wine and dine me?”
His eyes were bright, and his tone excited. Kristin wondered what he was thinking she had brought him here to say. It was almost as if he had completely forgotten about his rude behavior. His off-the-cuff apology said, it was as if he had banished it entirely from memory. “I spoke with Cole today,” she said quietly.
His expression changed instantly, a black cloud coming over his slightly chubby features. “You ran into Cole?” he repeated. “Did he bother you? If he did, I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” Kristin asked. “He’s double the size of you, and you aren’t exactly a fighter, are you?”
He looked a little embarrassed and for a moment Kristin felt bad for bringing up their physical differences. She suspected part of Jeremy’s resentment came from the fact that Cole had been all the things he’d wanted to be in school, but wasn’t.
“But, we can do things. If he’s pestering you, we can get a restraining order, or whatever it takes,” Jeremy blustered. “I’ll help you.”
“I didn’t run into him, Jeremy. I went to see him,” Kristin admitted. “I wanted to talk to him.
“Why in Heaven would you do something like that?”
“Because someone had to apologize for your terrible behavior. It was embarrassing and out of line,” Kristin said calmly.
She’d expected Jeremy to react badly to her news, and had chosen a public setting hoping that other people watching might temper her friend’s reaction, at least a bit. It didn’t seem to be making any difference. Kristin glanced around them, everyone in the diner must have overheard Jeremy’s outbursts. They all looked uncomfortable, but intrigued, and clearly couldn’t wait to hear what was coming next.
“Why do you hate him so much?” Kristin narrowed her eyes and gave him a quizzical stare. “After all, it was me he left behind. He hurt me, not you.”
Jeremy scowled, but didn’t say a word. She waited, giving him time to collect his thoughts and reply, but he still said nothing. She took a deep breath.
“Well, Cole and I have decided to leave the past where it belongs, in the past. We’re going to try to be friends. I don’t expect you two to ever find mutual ground, but I would be grateful if you could try and be civil to one another,” Kristin said firmly. “I don’t ever want what happened the other day to happen again.”
Jeremy licked his lips and adjusted his glasses. “You do remember I saw him kissing Lindy-Sue Meyer under the bleachers, don’t you?” he said, spitefully. “I can give you the details again if you want. I remember the scene like it was yesterday—”
“That’s enough, Jeremy. There’s no need to remind me about all that junk. We’re not together anymore. We broke up, remember?”
“If you’d have confronted him about what I told you, you’d have known the truth. He’d have denied it, of course, but you would have known if he was lying. And he would have been.”
“Why are you bringing all that up now? He told me about going in the army before I could talk to him about what you saw. It didn’t matter by then.” Kristin looked at him then clinched her jaw tightly. Folding her arms across her chest she glared at him.
“I’m reminding you that he’s a jerk.”
She raised her hands to her face and lowered her head. “This is really annoying me, you know.” She paused and looked up at him. “I just want you to act civil. That’s all.”
“He’ll do it again,” Jeremy warned. “If you let him back in, he will hurt you, over and over. He’s that kind of guy.”
“As I said, Jeremy, we’re going to be friends. Who he makes out with under the bleachers is entirely up to him. I think he’s grown up a lot though, don’t think he would ever do anything like that now.”
“I don’t like it, not one bit,” Jeremy protested.
“I know you think you’re protecting me. But, I am a big girl now, Jeremy, and Cole is a different man. And, he’ll be gone in just a few days, anyway. Surely, even you can manage to be civil to a man who is serving our country, risking his life to keep all of us—including you—safe?”
“I can’t, and won’t make any promises, but, if he keeps out of my way, then I’ll keep out of his,” Jeremy said. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy, and he broke your heart. You cried for weeks, months in fact. He wasn’t the one there to see that, to pick up the pieces. I know you’re sweet and kind, and that it wouldn’t take much for him to get back into your good graces. Kristin, please, remember who he is, and what he did to you. He isn’t right for you. He never was.”
They finished their food in silence. Kristin still didn’t understand why Jeremy was so angry with Cole, but at least she had brokered some kind of a truce. She didn’t want there to be bad feeling between the two men. She didn’t want Evie’s wedding overshadowed by past jealousies and hurts that should have been buried long ago.
And, even though she knew Jeremy was in part right, that Cole probably would wind up hurting her all over again in some way, Kristin knew she wanted to enjoy whatever time with him she could. Cole was, and always had been, the only man to ever make her feel alive. When his arms had been around her, a part of her had awakened that she’d thought was long gone. She was frightened of what might happen, but she was going to feel that fear and explore what might be anyway.
She felt like she owed it to herself. Jeremy was wrong. Cole had never been wrong for her. Never.
10
Cole arrived at the flower store at exactly one o’clock. Kristin smiled at him as she finished serving Mrs. Collins. He always used to be late for everything, and would arrive looking disheveled and out of breath having raced to get to her. Today, his clothes were pressed perfectly, and he looked calm and in control. She could hardly believe he was the boy she had once known. She grabbed her coat, and pulled the large bundle of keys from the pocket and slung her purse across her body.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked. “I haven’t had time to so much as address a Christmas card, so you’re going to be dragged everywhere!”
“As long as you can help me find something for my mom I’ll be happy. Oh, and Evie and Kyle’s wedding gift, too.” Cole seemed undaunted that Kristin had hijacked his shopping trip for her own needs.
“All right. I can definitely do that. Evie and Kyle might be tricky. I don’t know what she’s already gotten, but I assume you’re going to want something unique and not on their re
gistry. Am I right about that?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I don’t want to just get dishes or something.”
“Well, we can talk about that while we shop for your mother.”
“Good idea.” He smiled at her, holding the door as they went out.
“And your Mom is super easy to buy for. Since she’s such a cook, Shillington’s has a great home goods department. I know we can find something she’ll love there.”
She locked up the store behind them, and they headed along the street, ambling slowly as they talked. It felt as if they had never been separated, as if nothing had gone wrong. Kristin had often felt that she’d missed Cole so much because she’d lost her confidant, her partner in crime, and her best friend when she’d lost him as her boyfriend.
“So, what is it really like? Um, being in the army, I mean?” she asked him.
“Tough,” Cole admitted. “Long hours, terrible food, orders being barked at you day and night.”
“That wasn’t what I meant, and you know it.”
Cole sighed. “I know. I just, well, I don’t really like to talk about it. I’ve lost friends, brothers. While it’s something I believe in, you can’t get past the truth that people at war see things nobody should have to see. I’d be lying if I said it was easy just because I know I’m doing right.”
“I see,” Kristin said, putting a hand on his arm. She wanted to embrace him, but that felt too intimate, especially in the middle of the street. And she wasn’t sure she could trust herself around in his arms, not after what had happened in his kitchen the other day.
“Kris, I hate to admit it, but you told me it would be really hard and I didn’t listen. I guess I was all pumped up on the romantic idea that I would be a hero, and all that stuff. I didn’t want to hear about what might happen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sorry I went. I’m not unhappy with where it’s led, but it hasn’t been easy.”
She looked at him with a pained look.
“I don’t mean I’m glad about how it affected us. I mean, I’m honored to do what I do. My motivation has changed. That’s what I mean, really. Understand?”
Slowly, she nodded. He smiled back at her and Kristin could see the mixture of regret and satisfaction that she was starting to understand. “So, tell me more.”
He scrunched up his nose and was silent for a moment. “My first deployment to Afghanistan was completely different than I expected. There was action, but just as much boredom when we weren’t on shift. And good grief it was hot!” He chuckled shaking his head. “On patrol being always on the look out for roadside bombs or insurgents. It makes you jumpy. Combat changes you. It’s changed me, for sure.”
“It was that bad?”
“Well, honestly, life in the army is mostly routine after routine and rule upon rule. That’s how we do all the things that need to be done and it’s how people stay alive in combat.”
She looked at him. “Since I’ve never talked to anyone about their experiences, those words are a little hard to hear. But I do understand what you’re saying. Building a routine helps you do what you’re supposed to do without having to think about it, I guess.”
“Exactly. Without emotion. That has to come later. Things get hot and heavy fast. Being emotional can get you or your brothers killed. Having to think about what you’re doing can be deadly.”
They walked a little further. “So, did you have close calls?”
He nodded. “We were driving along. Paying attention, but joking a little. We were making fun of Pete.” He looked over at her. “Pete Driscoll. From Alabama. Went to Auburn for a couple of years. Dropped out to enlist. Funniest guy I’ve ever met. Bigger sports fanatic than me.”
“Well that’s saying something.” She smiled, not sure where this story was going. Oddly, even though she didn’t know Pete Driscoll, she desperately hoped this story wasn’t about his death in combat.
“Pete was about to tell a story about some great football play to win a game and there was an explosion. It was an IED. I heard Joe Cantrell yelling Pete’s name and when I got there, Joe was picking him up to get him back in the Humvee. We ran into some rifle fire but managed to make it back to camp.”
Kristin’s eyes were wide. She was afraid to ask, but she had to know. “And Pete? Was he… okay?”
Cole finally smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Finally. He had a rough recovery, but he’s fully recovered now. Back at Auburn finishing his degree. He’s gonna be a veterinarian. Funny thing was, his tour was just about over when it happened. He was already planning to go back and finish school. This just delayed him about a year.”
Kristin finally let out her breath, not realizing she’d been holding it waiting on the outcome for Pete. “I’m glad he’s all right.”
Cole had been changed by his experiences. In some ways for the better, but there were scars that would never heal for him now. His sunny, and overly optimistic disposition had some dark places now, but stories of survival in spite of stacked odds were inspiring.
“Me, too. Maybe you’ll meet him some day. He told me he’s going to visit. Said small towns are his thing. Reminds him of Auburn, I guess. It’s not that far away from here so I think he will.”
She raised an eyebrow and gave a non-comital smile.
He cleared his throat and looked forward. “Now, you have to tell me all about your teaching work, and how you transformed your Mom and Dad’s gardens, and if you still plan on opening your own nursery some day,” Cole said, forcing a lighter tone into his voice as he steered the conversation away from the troubles he had faced.
“Well, I finished my own training at the college,” Kristin told him, happy to oblige him and change the subject. “I loved every minute of my courses, and I think the other tutors saw how much passion I had for it all, so they encouraged me to apply for a position as a teaching assistant when I finished studying. It went so well, that they asked me to step up when one of my old teachers retired, and take his place. I love it. I get to teach people how to grow beautiful plants.”
“So, you’re happy?”
“I guess so. I’d still like to be able to buy some land and start a nursery, but for the time being I am content with the way things are,” Kristin said.
“I’m really glad you’re happy.” He gazed into her eyes, as if he was searching them to be sure she was really happy. Kristin felt a little awkward under his scrutiny, and moved away, to point at a sideboard in the window of Humboldt’s furniture store.
“What about this for Evie and Kyle?” she asked. “I know she has had her eye on it for months.”
Cole moved towards the window, and looked at the sturdy wooden construction. It was solid and chunky with a farmhouse traditional look. It would look great in Evie’s and Kyle’s dining room.
Kristin smiled when Cole sucked in his breath at the price tag. “If it’s more than you want to spend, there is a really lovely chest of drawers they want, that’s about half the price,” she teased.
“No, to be honest, I was just a little surprised the price is so reasonable,” Cole said, trying to save face.
“Cole, everybody knows that people in the military don’t make that much. Nobody would expect you to buy such an extravagant gift. I was really just teasing you.”
“Kris, I’ve saved virtually every penny I’ve earned in the past seven years. I can afford this,” Cole said firmly.
“Then, let’s go in and get it,” Kristin said, taking his hand and leading him inside. He smiled at her enthusiasm, but dragged back a little.
“Thanks, Kris,” he said softly.
“What for?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“For being you. For not judging, for understanding. And especially for not being mad when I told you I’m not sorry I went. It is so nice to just feel like a normal guy for a change.”
“I’m just glad we can be friends,” she said softly. “Now, are we buying this sideboard or not?”
“Okay, let’s get to it,” Cole said, laug
hing at her.
Kristin found herself wavering between emotions throughout the rest of their shopping trip. She found herself irresistibly drawn towards Cole, and she most definitely enjoyed his company.
She was amazed by the changes in him. In fact, she was sure she was so drawn to him because he had changed. He was much more thoughtful, and considerate now. He truly listened when she spoke, and was much more open in return. He had grown up to become a truly wonderful man.
Even though the secret she carried about their last days together still haunted her, she hid it well. She’d never had the chance to talk to Cole about what Jeremy had told her about Lindy-Sue, so he had no idea she knew what he’d done. She still felt that pain, but it didn’t matter now. Not after all this time and since they had agreed to be friends again. That was important and she didn’t want to ruin that chance. So she carried the secret and tried to hide it from her own memory.
11
Cole walked Kristin back to the flower store where her car was, carrying her bags. He waited as she unlocked the passenger door, and then stepped around her to place her purchases onto the seat. “Thanks for your help today,” he said as he stepped back and closed the door.
He turned and smiled at her and was immediately happy they’d reconnected. Her eyes were so deep, he longed to just dive into her, lose himself in her forever. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a sprig of mistletoe above their heads. She was parked on the tree-lined street where ornaments hung along with the bright white lights.
Noticing the mistletoe ornament was an opportunity too good to be missed. He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers before he could talk himself out of such madness.
The kiss was warm. Kristin’s lips were soft and yielding. She tasted of strawberry lip gloss, just like she had in high school. Cole felt his pulse quicken, just as it always had when Kristin was in his arms. His heart felt alive. He’d missed her so much.
She began to move her arms, as if to embrace him, but then stopped, as if she had changed her mind. Kristin pushed him away, her small, delicate hands against his chest. “Friends, remember,” she said, her head dipped as if she didn’t want him to see her expression. She went to the driver’s side, putting a physical barrier between them.
A Christmas Surprise (Second Chance Christmas) Page 5