DISTANCE OF THE HEART
By
Agnes H. Hagadus
(copyright 2016)
Dedicated to all my readers, especially the one who suggested the pairing. Without you, I’m nothing. Special dedication to my sweet fiancée. I love you spitfire. And thank you to our daughter Miss Alex, gone but never forgotten, you are loved
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The tall, blonde woman stood in line, waiting like everyone else. Unlike everyone else, she stood out like a pink rose among red ones. Her dress was conservative as she was dressed in a short-sleeved, pink cotton button shirt. Her pale pink pants hugged her hips, accentuating the curves as well as the muscular calves the pant legs encased. The sunglasses held her hair at bay as she stored them on top of her head. The heels on her white shoes were only a couple inches.
As the line slowly inched along, the blonde glanced at her cellphone. Soon, she would have to turn it off. Soon, she would lose contact with everything that meant the world to her. It wasn’t only her best friend who had only recently had a baby and the rest of her best friend’s family. It was, more importantly, the woman she loved. The woman who she now realized was her soulmate. Someone she had mistreated.
Emily Dunst retrieved two plastic trays. In one she placed her laptop. In the other, she placed her shoes, cellphone and purse. Behind it, she placed the black, leather case that would hold her laptop, but also held some necessities. She waited until she was told before she stepped into the scanner. No matter how many times she had flown, she could never get over how it felt like she was a prisoner being searched.
The therapist was only grateful her bra or something else didn’t set off the scanner. Even though it was a woman who searched her body, it remained disconcerting being patted down. It wouldn’t be so bad if her trip was a wanted one. If Tabby and Little Nicky could be accompanying her, it would make all the difference in the world. After receiving the go ahead, Emily hastily retrieved her items before setting out in search of some much needed caffeine.
It wasn’t long before Emily had a grande coffee, a small fruit salad mix and a place at the nearest electronics hub. At least that’s how she referred to the area full of plugins for everyone’s electronic devices. It didn’t take long to plug in her phone and laptop. There was only one text from Abby. It was sweet how her best friend had taken the time to text her, even with enjoying the fact their greatest enemy was no long around to bother them and a new child.
Emily sent off a quick message asking her to tell Tabby, if she saw her, that she missed her and was sorry once again. Her girlfriend wasn’t returning any of her messages. She wondered if it was because Tabby was still uncertain if she could trust their relationship. Emily took a sip of her coffee before powering up her laptop. She quickly checked her emails, having told her clients she was unfortunately unavailable for at least the next three weeks.
Three weeks? Emily shook her head as she hastily sent out responses to some emails. She was kidding herself if what lay ahead would only take three weeks. The notification of an incoming skype chat caught her by surprise. She groaned when she realized it was from her brother. Not wanting to do a video chat from the airport, she chose to type instead. It wasn’t surprising he only wanted to confirm her flight details as he was the one picking her up at the airport.
At first, she had contemplated renting a vehicle but knew the classic car she had been gifted on her sixteenth birthday was still awaiting her. Emily’s mother had insisted she drive it from California to New York when she had decided to leave home. She might have been fairly young at the time, even she knew the logistical nightmare owning a vehicle in New York City could impose. Besides, she hadn’t wanted to owe anything to her parents.
Her phone vibrated. Emily immediately picked it up, hoping beyond hope. She sighed heavily as it was only a text from Abby once again. Her best friend had not seen her girlfriend more than in passing for the past few days. She couldn’t help but wonder if Tabby was avoiding Abby and the rest of the Walker clan. It was nearly impossible as her soulmate continued to live at the Walker Bed and Breakfast which was never without at least one Walker family member.
The weak plea that Abby please continue to try was typed and sent. A second text was sent regarding missing seeing Miss Alex grow. The young child had already captured everyone’s hearts, including Emily’s. The therapist couldn’t have children of her own. Having a best friend who had three children helped her live vicariously through her. The fact she was so close to having a son of her own never eluded her.
It would be the biggest loss if Emily and her soulmate could not somehow fully repair the damage thoughtless words spoken when stress was overwhelming had caused. Azure eyes closed a moment, picturing the first day of school. It had been the first steps towards reconciliation. And yet it was so long ago as summer break had only just begun. Soon, it would be Little Nicky’s birthday. Soon, Sam and Abby would be off on their official honeymoon.
Emily sighed heavily. Her life had never been a bed of roses, but lately it had become so full of weeds it was overwhelming. The last thing she had needed was the phone call summoning her home. Home? California had ceased being home the moment she had set foot on a plane the first time she’d flown all alone to New York City. Ties that bind had ceased the moment her parents had decided not to accept the fact that she had fallen for another woman.
Fallen seemed like an understatement. Emily was now picking at her fruit salad as she slowly drained her coffee. Her laptop was still alive in front of her, her phone constantly being checked just in case she missed the buzz alerting her to a text message. It was more than fallen and the constant staring at the computer screen, hoping a special someone would take a chance and open a video chat with her, was beyond hope.
Time flew by. Before Emily had realized it, time had come for them to begin the first boarding of her flight. The therapist quickly stored her laptop. She swallowed the last bit of coffee before disposing of her garbage. Her uncle had insisted on upgrading her tickets from economy class to first. She didn’t want to accept. Partly it was because she wanted to pay her own way. Partly it was because she wasn’t certain how much money Mitch had to take care of himself.
As Emily was herded onto the plane, along with the other Monday morning commuters, her thoughts were of Tabby. Of their first time together. The stolen moment in the middle of the day. As she stored her laptop, she could feel her nipples hardening at the thought of the touches. Never with a man had the therapist felt her body respond as it had that passion filled day. Never had she missed someone’s touch as much as she did her soulmate’s.
When Emily realized she was sitting by the window, she was grateful. It was over a five-and-a-half-hour flight. She could work on her laptop updating her meager clients’ files. There was reading on her computer, but she hadn’t been interested in any of her romance novels as of late. There was playing solitaire. Of the choices, the last seemed to be the most fitting, considering her current circumstances. She sighed heavily at the thought.
After making certain her seatbelt was securely fastened, Emily leaned her head against the side of the plane. She adjusted the vents above her before allowing her eyes to close. The reason for her trip was shoved aside. Family problems were not what she wanted to focus on, yet she knew she had to at some point. What she needed now was her family. Not her extended family in the Walker clan, but Tabby and Little Nicky. Their picture on her cellphone was clasped in her hand as she felt sleep overtake her.
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Today
was an emotional day for the blonde. She stood on the pier that led to the private lake gracing the property the Walker Bed and Breakfast had stood on for nearly a century. Her emerald eyes were hidden beneath mirrored sunglasses. Partially it was to block out the sun just slowly rising over the horizon. Partially it was to hide the bloodshot orbs beneath.
Bloodshot was a constant condition these days. It was partially due to lack of sleep. It was partially due to the fact she cried herself to sleep most nights. It had especially been true the crying after her girlfriend had informed her she needed to return West. While it wasn’t her soulmate’s fault, the timing couldn’t have been worse. They had become lovers so quickly and were still learning about one another. Worse, they were recovering from harsh words and mistrust by both.
Tabby Smith had already had an experience with a lover who could not be trusted. Who left her and her son, Little Nicky, when life had become too much. The bills that had piled up because of her son’s illness had added to the strain and the want for Helen to leave them. The thing was, she was certain her soulmate wouldn’t treat her the way her ex had. And yet, the words had been hateful. The situation she was in was because the connection to Emily had been dangerous. As dangerous as any can be.
The only consolation Tabby had had was her son had not been involved directly in the kidnapping or any of the other heinous acts that had occurred. The one thing the nurse often forgot was her own endangerment of her child. It had been to gain money to pay to heal her son. And yet, Jenny Monroe had been the worst of the worst of mobsters. And yet Tabby had agreed to work for her and the bills had vanished instantly. But so had a part of the young woman’s soul.
A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. It was something that would forever haunt her. Tabby had literally made a deal with the devil. It was for the best of reasons. It was because her son’s life could have ended. While there are many government funded agencies to help with medical bills, she as a nurse made too much money for them. There were payment plans. But she would have been paying on them for years. And what would she do for Nicky’s college education? It wasn’t the wisest or best solution. But it was the one she had chosen.
In that moment, Tabby knew the reason it would be difficult to fully trust one another again. It wasn’t so much what had been said. People say things in anger all the time. Regrets are a part of life. Emily wasn’t the only one who had said things she would like to take back. She wasn’t the only one who had wished they could have a soothing oil and repair all the aches and pains caused by the dagger of words. It was because she couldn’t forgive herself for her past. For the role she played in possibly having someone with no morals after them. It could have easily been Jenny Monroe, not Anthony Denardo.
There was a name Tabby didn’t care to think about. The time they’d spent in the old farmhouse was enough for her. While there was a rumor that Anthony had succumbed to his illness, the nurse wasn’t about to allow hope to filter into her mind. Jenny was dead and gone, at Sam’s hands. The rumors of exactly how her demise had taken place ran rampant. It was rumors she intended to shield her son from. There was also the mayor of Middletown she wondered if she would one day have to fear.
The sun was rising slowly above the lush, green trees. It made her miss Emily even more. There was the day in the park. A day they would be reliving soon as that’s where Nicky wanted to spend his birthday. It was also the day they had been kidnapped. Up until that point, it had been an amazing time. It had been…Tabby sighed. It was difficult to put into words exactly how that stolen moment, with her soulmate’s arms wrapped around her, had really been like. What it had done to her, not on a physical level, but emotional one.
Absently, Tabby reached for her cellphone. The time informed her she would soon have to return to the bed and breakfast. That she would have to take Nicky to the school where a daycare was run by the principal’s wife. It was only available during the summer, but helped families such as hers a great deal. She could have left Nicky with Melissa. Her son loved playing with the other Walker children. But for now, some distance was in order.
Distance wasn’t an easy thing as Tabby had been caught up in the business now owned by Samantha Walker, her soulmate’s best friend’s wife. While she didn’t have the skills such as the others had, she was a healer. Her employer, Sierra, was now undercover in an attempt to discover what the mayor was up to. If he was merely a jackass or if he was attempting to be anything like Jenny Monroe. The reason she had been employed by Sierra was no longer a necessity. Her boss was fully healed from the gunshot wound to her stomach. Another of the presents Jenny had gifted to so many over the years.
Tabby hugged herself at the thought of how many times she had been the healer who had taken care of the ones Jenny had tortured. The ones who had begged her to allow them to die. The mobster woman had wanted them healthy so that she could begin the torture process all over. Now more than a single tear was cascading down her cheeks. The tears flowed and flowed as she remembered the men and women she had sent back to Jenny, just so they could be tortured again.
The young woman fell to her knees. Tabby splashed her face with the cool water of the lake, in an attempt to remove the evidence of the tears she had shed. Of the guilt she felt each and every day. It was time to change from the woman tortured by her past to the woman who was self-confident and carefree. If only she were those things, it would make life so much simpler. It would also teach her son a valuable lesson. The one everyone in life needed to learn.
As Tabby stood, she knew she had made a step toward that lesson the day she had helped Sam escape Jenny’s clutches. Unlike the others she been charged with the care of, instantly she had known there was something different about the detective. Was it in the cobalt eyes when she would actually open them, instead of pretending to be asleep? Was it the way she had always played with the ring upon her finger? Or was it something else?
Looking back, Tabby wasn’t certain exactly what it was. All she knew was that she had finally reached that point. That point where the money wasn’t enough. When selling her soul to the devil wasn’t something she could accept anymore. Finally, she had taken a step towards learning what every person in the world needs to do sometime in their lifetime. From the moment she helped Sam escape the clutches of Jenny, she was finally being true to herself.
The nurse heard the soft noises coming from the bed and breakfast. She knew that Melissa, Sam’s mother, would be making breakfast for all the tenants. Those that were only visiting or those that were now family. Tabby knew she was included in the family part of things. It wasn’t because she had saved Sam. It was because the Walker clan was good people. The kind everyone should have for family. The kind she wished she’d had while growing up.
Tabby’s cellphone was once again in her hand. She checked her texts. There were now five from Emily. That was after five the night before. She had taken to placing her phone on silent, not even wanting the chance of hearing it vibrate at night. During the day, it was always on as she was always afraid to lose contact with her son. Or her potential contact. It came with being a mother. But the added chances of Nicky possibly having a reoccurrence of his leukemia…
It took everything for her to resist replying. Tabby knew it was cruel to leave Emily hanging the way she was. But she needed time. She needed space. The young woman made her way back towards the bed and breakfast. Every few steps, she would glance at her cellphone or would give it a gentle squeeze. Finally, she made it to the porch. There were the sounds of children inside.
The laughter caused her to smile sadly. Instead of entering, Tabby sat on the porch swing. She inhaled deeply the scents of the many flowers and plants Melissa so painstakingly maintained. The lawn had been mowed recently. The pollen floated in the air. Soon, her allergies would be going crazy. For now, it all felt peaceful. Was it an illusion? She knew from past experience it could be like her mind. One minute she was under control. The next…
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The captain’s voice startled her. Emily scanned the plane. Her traveling companion was also just waking. She smiled sweetly at the businessman. The leer that she was graced with caused her to instantly regret the smile. Her azure eyes quickly left the young man. In fact, she took her phone and made certain it was powered up and ready to go. She knew she couldn’t access anything until they had landed, but having the phone in her hand was a good excuse to avoid having a discussion with the stranger.
The fact Emily made certain he could see the picture she used when her phone was locked had its desired effect. The businessman instantly acted as if he were gathering his newspaper and other items before returning his tray to its upright position. Emily stared at the picture. It was one of Nicky, Tabby and herself. They had taken one of the canoes out on the lake. It had been taken by Melissa. She was grateful for everything the matriarch had done for her.
It took forever, it seemed, for the plane to land and finally come to a rest. It took even longer for passengers to disembark. It was the usual scramble, even in first-class, to find each person’s luggage. Emily was patient as she didn’t really want to face what lay ahead for her. Finally, the line of people began moving and it wasn’t long before her long legs were carrying her off the plane and to a past she would rather not face. A family she would rather not have anything to do with.
The first thing Emily needed was to find a bathroom. After that, she would need to find her brother. If the two stood next to one another, most would not even realize they were siblings, let alone twins. The only thing they had inherited was height and azure eyes. Otherwise, Rick looked nothing like her. In fact, his appearance would cause him to fit in with the Walker clan instead of with her.
Rick was six foot four, had azure eyes and jet black hair. He had broad shoulders and muscles to die for. At least the last time that she had seen him in person he had. Though they sometimes skyped, it was rare Emily paid attention to his appearance. After all, Rick was always complaining he was the one dealing with their parents. That he couldn’t find the right one. That his life sucked beyond the telling of it.
Distance of the Heart Page 1