by Emma Easter
Trisha looked at him from across the table. “Stan, I’ll have to admit that this is a really nice gesture.”
He smiled. “Remember that old woman in the room next to ours? She was so fascinated by the fact that we were honeymooners that she wouldn’t leave us alone.”
Trisha chuckled. “At first I thought she was a nice old woman who was just curious. When she kept knocking on our door every single hour, I knew she was nuts.”
He shook his head. “That was pretty crazy.”
They kept reminiscing until the waiter brought their food. As they tucked in, they laughed and chatted about their honeymoon experiences and then about the first few weeks of their marriage. Trisha couldn’t remember the last time she and Stan had such a great time together. Bringing her here was the best thing he could have done. It was a pity he hadn’t done it before their marriage disintegrated.
They finished their meals, and Stan winked at her.
She shook her head slowly. “I know that wink, Stan. You are up to something.” She looked intently at him, curious to know what he had on his mind.
“Do you remember our room number when we stayed here?”
She raised her brows. “No, that was such a long time ago. How am I supposed to remember that?”
“I do,” Stan said with a smirk. “Do you want to see it . . . just to know if it still looks the same?”
She sighed. “Stan?”
He shook his head. “No, not for that, just to see it.”
“Really, you expect me to believe that you just want me to see the room?”
“What are you afraid of, Trish? It’s not like I can force you to do what you don’t want to. And you are pregnant. I’m not even thinking about that right now.”
She scowled at him. “Well, thank you for letting me know I’m completely undesirable!”
“Umm, no, it’s not . . . if you want to, I’m not saying I won’t . . .”
“Stan! Stop it!”
He smiled sheepishly. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman, I promise.”
She waited while he collected the keys to the room from the lobby. When he came back, she stood and followed him out of the restaurant and up a staircase. As she climbed the stairs behind him, holding on to the rails, she chided herself. You know where this is going to lead, don’t you?
She paused for a brief moment to catch her breath and then tentatively continued up.
They reached the top of the stairs, and as they walked down a vaguely familiar-looking hallway, her worries increased. They stopped in front of a door, and Stan unlocked it. She entered the room after Stan did and glanced around. It looked delightfully familiar with the gaudy red and gold décor. She smiled, forgetting her concern and flopped on the bed. “Just like it was back then.”
He grinned at her. “I knew you would like it.”
She got up and went to look out the window. Memories of their time here flooded her mind. She looked back at Stan and pictured him as he was back then. She remembered the morning after they arrived here. He’d ordered breakfast in bed before she’d woken up. Beside her was the usual bouquet of roses.
She sighed with regret. If only he hadn’t gone and destroyed it all. She looked into Stan’s eyes and saw he was gazing at her. Her breath caught in her throat as she recalled that look. That was how he’d looked at her on their wedding night, right here in this room.
She blinked in surprise when he said, “Are you ready to leave?”
For a long moment, she didn’t answer. With the way he was looking at her, his question was the last thing she’d expected. She forced a smile and nodded.
He doesn’t want you because you are now fat.
She suddenly felt self-conscious and put her hand on her swollen belly. Even though she didn’t want him either, she still felt a little sting of rejection.
And then, almost immediately, she pushed her insecurities away. He had told her he would be a perfect gentleman, and he was honoring his word. She smiled at him and then walked out of the room.
As they got back into his car to drive home, she turned and said to him, “Thanks, Stan. I had a great time. It was really thoughtful of you to bring me here.”
He nodded but didn’t smile this time.
As he drove home, she couldn’t help gazing at him. She kept recalling different significant points in their marriage, all they had been through together, the good and the bad times. As she thought about it, she realized that the good times definitely surpassed the bad.
Do I really want to throw it all away? She thought ruefully.
Chapter Sixteen
Ken felt excitement bubbling up inside him as he answered Audrey’s phone call. Before long, she would be here in Miami, and they would finally be together again. He stretched out on his leather couch and said, “Hi Audrey. Where are you now?”
Audrey answered, “I’m at the airport in Atlanta. My flight is in about thirty minutes. So, in about two and a half hours, I’ll be at the airport in Miami.”
Ken smiled. He looked at his wristwatch and saw it was almost noon. “Okay, I’ll set out for the airport in about an hour and a half.” He gripped his phone tightly. “I can’t wait to see you, baby!”
“Can’t wait to see you too,” Audrey replied, her voice filled with excitement.
After the call, he stood and went to the bathroom to lightly trim his beard. Audrey liked running her fingers through it, and he wanted it to look nice for her.
As he trimmed the beard while looking at the mirror, he continued to think about Audrey. He felt partly nervous and partly exhilarated, as he was planning to ask her to marry him at the end of her stay here. He was so tired of being apart from her.
However, one thing troubled him—their living arrangements. He couldn’t leave his job and move to Rosefield, but Audrey wouldn’t want to leave hers either. She finally had her dream job. He couldn’t ask her to abandon it and move here with him after they were married.
She might just refuse to marry me if I even mention it, he thought in self-mockery as he finished trimming his beard and got into the shower. That meant they were soon to be at an impasse.
He finished showering and went to his room to put on a black T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. As he walked to the kitchen to fix himself some lunch before leaving for the airport, the doorbell rang. He frowned, wondering who it was. Walking to the living room, he opened the door, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Lauren!”
“Ken, I’m so sorry to bother you.” She sniffed.
He frowned. She had been crying.
She entered his house, glanced around and gave him a sad smile. “I haven’t been here since we broke up, but it still looks the same.”
He winced when she suddenly broke down.
“What is it?” he asked. He hadn’t seen her since the day she’d gone to the police station, choosing to stay away deliberately. After she’d tried to kiss him, he had decided it was for the best, especially when he heard that her husband had been put in jail. She was safe, or so he’d thought. From the way she looked now, it appeared that the wretch had been let out of prison. “Is it your husband?” Anger churned in him. “Did they let him out?”
She nodded. “The court reduced his offense to a misdemeanor, and he was released from jail after paying a fine.”
Ken raked his fingers through his hair, anger and frustration raging in him. How could they let out that beast?
“He came to the house threatening me, and I tried to defend myself. That incensed him.” She pulled up her blouse slightly, and he saw a bandage wrapped around her waist.
He spat out, “That guy did this to you? I am going to kill him if I ever lay my eyes on him.”
She shook her head and sobbed. “I don’t feel safe, Ken. My home isn’t safe, and I have nowhere to go. Can I stay with you, just until I find somewhere else?”
He laid a hand on his forehead as his mind roiled with conflicting emotions. Audrey might be a strong woman and open-
minded, but she wouldn’t understand why Lauren was staying at his house instead of finding somewhere else to stay. He felt torn. On the one hand, he wanted to protect an old friend, but on the other, he needed to preserve his present relationship.
Lauren looked into his eyes. “Please, Ken. I feel safe with you, and I really have nowhere else to go.”
You could go to a shelter.
As if she read his mind, she said, “You know I can’t bear shelters after what happened to my mom and me when I was a child.”
He thinned his lips as he recalled something she had told him about that. He exhaled and then nodded. She was terrified of shelters. Plus, he couldn’t just turn her away with all she had been through. “Okay, Lauren, but I hope you’ll find somewhere soon. My girlfriend will be arriving in Miami today, and I need to explain to her that you are only staying here temporarily.”
Lauren nodded. “I will, I promise.”
He glanced at his wristwatch. He really had to get to the airport. Lauren would stay here while he went and picked Audrey up. The plan was that he would drop her off at her hotel to rest and freshen up. Two hours later, he would go back to the hotel, pick her up again, and bring her here. He had to explain Lauren’s presence in his house before he did. He looked at her again. “Are you sure you don’t have to go to the hospital?”
“No. I’ve been there already.”
“There has to be a way to get that monster behind bars again. He can’t be terrorizing you like this.”
“He was ordered to attend anger management classes some weeks ago, but I don’t think it’s helping.”
Ken snorted. “He doesn’t need anger management classes. What he needs is jail time! Anyway, Lauren,” he sighed, “I have to go now. Are you sure you will you be all right on your own?” He held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t say no. It’s not like I can take her with me.
She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
She looked a little scared, and he loathed leaving her now, but there was little he could do.
He scolded himself. Stop worrying. She will be safe here.
He went in to get his cell phone and car keys, and then his ears suddenly perked up. There was a strange scraping sound coming from the back of the house. His eyes flashed as a loud crash sounded from his living room. He opened his drawer and grabbed his gun.
Slowly, he made his way to the living room, careful not to make a sound. He paused behind a wall before he reached the room and stuck out his head slightly. His eyes widened in horror. A burly man he guessed was Lauren’s husband had one hand tightly wrapped around her waist and the other covering her mouth.
Her eyes bulged with pain.
“Let her go!” Ken walked out and pointed the gun at the burly bully.
The man gave Ken a murderous look. “She’s my wife, not yours! I know you are her ex. You are trying to steal her away from me!”
Ken ignored the man’s rant. He came closer, the gun aimed at the man’s head. “I said let her go right now!”
The man swore loudly and then threw Lauren down. He cursed her and ran out of the house.
Ken roared as his body shook with rage. There was nothing he would have wanted more than to hunt that maniac down, but Lauren was thrashing on the floor, hurt. He bent down and tried to pick her up, but she groaned in pain.
She shut her eyes and said haltingly, “I think . . . I think my leg is broken from the fall.”
Ken grimaced. There was blood on her shirt, seeping from the wound on her waist. The brute had opened up her wound. He got up and rushed to the phone on the mantel. “Hang on. Let me call 911.”
Ten minutes later, the paramedics placed her on a stretcher, and Ken followed them in the ambulance. All through the ride, he held her hand while she sobbed.
“You’ll be fine, Lauren,” he continuously assured her. But he knew she wasn’t crying because of her physical injury. It was from the emotional and mental ordeal she’d just faced; the ordeal she was still going to face with her lunatic husband at large.
They got to the hospital, and he watched helplessly as they rolled her away. One of the paramedics had told him on the way here that her wound would have to be stitched up as soon as they got to the hospital.
And then he gasped as he remembered Audrey.
He reached into his pocket, and then immediately recalled he hadn’t taken his phone. Audrey would probably now be trying to contact him. He asked the nurse at the reception desk if he could use the phone. When the woman agreed, he dialed Audrey’s number.
There was no answer.
He dialed again, but she still didn’t pick up.
He groaned. Where are you, Audrey?
*****
Ken called a taxi using the hospital phone. After that, he went to sit in the waiting area beside Lauren, who had a hand on her waist, wincing in pain. Her wound had been stitched up and bandaged and her leg put in a cast. She’d been given instructions on how to care for her stitches and to stay off her leg until it was fully healed. He said to her, “Our ride will be here very soon.”
She nodded, and he looked away into the distance. The hospital was packed with patients and medical staff, but the only person his mind focused on was Audrey. He had called her again and again with the hospital phone, but he still hadn’t been able to reach her. He sighed with worry and got up. “Just a minute Lauren.” He walked to the reception desk again, and the middle-aged nurse eyed him.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her. “Just one more time.”
She turned away, and he picked up the phone. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly to release his anxiety. He figured Audrey would already be in her hotel now. She would wonder why he hadn’t come to pick her up and would have called him a dozen times. Was that why she wasn’t answering her phone? Was she angry with him?
The phone rang, but again, there was no answer. He huffed in frustration and then returned to his seat next to Lauren.
“You’re worried about your girlfriend?” Lauren asked.
He gave her a small smile. “Umm, she’s a big girl. I know she’s fine. It’s just that I left my phone in the house, and I’m worried she may have been trying to reach me for hours without success.”
“Hopefully, you’ll get through to her once you get to your phone.”
He nodded and glanced at his watch. “The cab driver said he’ll be here in about ten minutes. Let me go out and see if he is.” He went out and waited until a taxi stopped in front of him. After he’d confirmed the taxi was for him, he said to the driver, “Please hold on,” and then went to get Lauren.
She stood and began to hobble with her crutches while he put his arm around her shoulder for extra support. Once outside, he helped her into the car and got in beside her.
When they got home, he lowered her down onto the couch and smiled at her. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, thank you so much, Ken. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t come to rescue me from Richie. He’s turned into a monster.” She bit her lip. “Thank you.” She started to rise from the couch, but he shook his head.
“No, Lauren. Lie down.”
She leaned back and then groaned. “Oh no! I think I have opened up my stitches again.”
His eyes widened in concern. “I hope not. Let me see.” He raised her blouse and saw the stitches were still intact. “They are fine,” he said, smiling with relief as he put her blouse down again.
*****
After taking a quick shower, Audrey hurriedly put on a knee-length polka dot dress and wore a pair of flat gold sandals. She picked up her purse and quickly left her hotel room. Ken had not shown up at the airport, and she was worried. She had waited and waited, but he still didn’t come. Unfortunately, her phone had gotten lost somewhere between the Atlanta airport and Miami. She tried to call him with a pay phone, but he didn’t answer any of her calls. After a few hours of waiting and worrying, she’d finally decided to go to her hotel on her own,
check in, and then take a cab to his home address.
She quickly found a taxi, gave the driver Ken’s written home address and entered. Her heart pounded with worry as they drove through traffic. She felt something might have happened to Ken. Ken always kept his word, and this was totally unlike him to ditch her without any word or explanation. Everything in her told her something had definitely happened to him.
Or he has suddenly lost interest in you.
She brushed away the weird thought. That was unlikely, considering he’d sounded very eager to see her just a few hours ago.
That left the only possible reason she could think of—something had happened to him. But what could it be? Maybe he was ill. The thought left her feeling faint.
She looked out the window as the driver drove into a quiet suburban neighborhood. The long street was lined with acacia trees, and most of the houses were similar-looking one-story homes. The whole area was lit like it was Christmastime, and she could see into some of the houses. The driver finally stopped in front of a house with a police car parked in the driveway. That meant Ken was home, but in what state?
She stepped down from the taxi, her heart beating fast with dread. If something had happened to him, how would she be able to go on?
After paying the driver, she began to walk slowly to his front door, afraid of what she would find when she got to his house. Was he hurt or sick? She prayed fervently in her heart that he was fine.
But if he is, then why hasn’t he been answering my calls?
When she saw his curtains were open, showing his brightly lit living room, she made a beeline for the window instead. And then she blinked.
It can’t be!
She moved closer, and her eyes widened in horror. Ken was hunched over a blond while the woman lay on his couch. Audrey felt nauseated as he laid his hand on the woman’s back. When he raised her blouse, she couldn’t watch anymore and quickly turned away.