Accept Me

by Marion Ueckermann

  “You’ll find your special someone, Pete. Don’t give up.” Riley’s finger brushed lightly against Haddie’s sending flutters to her heart. Was that a subtle message that she was his someone?

  Her thoughts distracted, she blurted, “You should meet my Irish friend, Cara.” With his dark, handsome looks and Cara’s beauty and equally black hair, they’d create exquisite babies if they were ever to fall in love and marry.

  “Cara… Irish… She sounds perfect, asthma girl.” Pete’s broad smile tattled on his eagerness to meet her friend.

  “Haddie. My name is Haddie.” She tried to keep her annoyance in check. This was, after all, Riley’s best friend. Besides the “asthma girl” thing, he seemed pleasant. And he was responsible for supplying her with life-giving oxygen that fateful Friday.

  “Of course. I’m sorry, Haddie. Forgive me.”

  “It’s okay.” What else could Haddie say? Pete did look genuinely apologetic.

  He offered Haddie a wide smile. “So, your friend… When can I meet her? How about a double date?” He waggled his brows, first at Haddie, then at Riley.

  Stand in line, Pete. I haven’t seen my friend in a decade. If their paths were ever to cross again, she’d be hogging Cara for as long as she possibly could.

  Haddie pursed her lips and scrunched her nose. “That would be difficult as she lives in Ireland. If she ever comes across the seas from Ireland, and I’m still in Chapel Cove, I’ll introduce you two.”

  “My Irish luck that she’s so far away.” Pete sighed, then started to chuckle.

  Haddie narrowed her gaze at him and frowned. “What’s so funny?”

  “What you just said… It sounded like a line from a song. Now I have it stuck in my head. Thanks, Haddie.”

  Haddie wasn’t sure whether to take Pete seriously, or if he was just joking.

  From the small stage in a corner of the restaurant, a microphone squealed.

  “Speaking of songs, they’re about to start the karaoke.” Riley pointed to the DJ walking across the small stage with a mic ready in his hand.

  Pete twisted back to Haddie. “Have you ever sung karaoke?”

  Haddie shook her head. “Never.”

  The DJ’s deep, Latino-accented voice boomed from the sound system. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tía Irma’s Tuesday Karaoke Night right here in Chapel Cove. I’m your DJ and host, Lucas Lòpez. If this is your first time at a karaoke evening, don’t forget to submit your requests right here. There are blank note pads on each table on which to write your names and songs. That’s all it takes for your moment of fame. And if you don’t sing, except in the shower, then nominate a friend. Let’s have some karaoke fun, shall we?”

  He leaned toward an oversized beer mug perched on the edge of the table filled with audio equipment. His fingers pinched a piece of paper. “First up tonight…a duet—Dave Thompson and Marie Dixon singing ‘Shallow’. Give them a big hand, ladies and gents.”

  The background music faded and switched to the popular song from A Star is Born. Dave began, and on her cue, Marie joined him. They harmonized beautifully.

  Haddie exhaled a soft sigh. If only she could sing half as well.

  Pete rose. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

  Haddie watched Riley’s friend disappear between the tables of diners. She glanced back at Riley. “Where’s he off to?”

  “He probably wants to order a round of drinks for our table. Or coffee. And maybe he just needs to visit the restroom.”

  A while later, Pete returned with three tall cups. “I thought you might enjoy something hot to drink.” He had a glint in his eyes and a smile on his lips that hadn’t been there earlier. What was this man up to?

  At least Haddie hadn’t seen him anywhere near that nomination beer mug up front. Four karaoke singers had already enjoyed time behind the mic. The duet was excellent—the other two not so great. Probably much like she would sound if she were up there. Add a good dose of nerves to an already bad voice and you had the perfect recipe for a karaoke disaster.

  The filler music between the karaoke songs faded once again as Lucas, the DJ, reached for that mug filled with papers. Before he could stick his hand inside the glass container, a waiter hurried across the empty stage and handed him something.

  A paper.

  He unfolded it.

  “We have a special request for a karaoke newbie.” The music faded to the slow instrumental intro of Faith Hill’s “Breathe.”

  “Haddie,” Lucas smiled into the microphone as his gaze scanned the busy restaurant. “Come on up here.”

  Riley’s heart sank as Haddie’s face paled. Pete, you idiot! If his friend had been at church with him on Sunday, he might’ve gotten an inkling that Haddie couldn’t sing too well.

  Pete began to chuckle, and Haddie backhanded his upper arm. “You’re trouble, Pete Bennet. I don’t think I should introduce you to Cara anymore.”

  “Aw, Haddie, don’t be like that. And c’mon, girl—up, up, up, they’re playing your song.” Pete caught Riley’s eye, and obviously chose to ignore the warning in his glare.

  “I–I don’t sing.” Haddie’s voice was barely a whisper. Then in a stronger voice, she countered, “You go and sing, Pete. It was your great idea.”

  Riley reached across the table brushed a finger under Haddie’s chin. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix this for you.”

  He shifted across the upholstered bench then shoved to his feet. On a mission, he headed for the stage as DJ Lucas again called for Haddie.

  Riley hopped up onto the low platform and moved behind one of the mic stands. Picking up on the words shifting from white to red on the karaoke screen, he focused on Haddie and sang in his best baritone.

  If only the world could fade away like the song said, but it had been constantly on his mind since yesterday when he’d asked around at the station about Kayleigh Scott, that nobody had heard the name before. He should tell Haddie, but he hated to disappoint her.

  Part of Riley wanted to find her biological mother as quickly as possible, and the other part of him hoped they never found the woman. What if, once Haddie completed her quest, she packed her bags and returned to Kentucky? To her father. To Perdy.

  He’d just have to bring a little Kentucky to Haddie, make her feel at home right here in Chapel Cove.

  Chapter Twelve

  EARLY SATURDAY morning, a small package arrived at the bookshop from London for Haddie. She couldn’t believe it. She’d expected it to arrive next week.

  Well, bless the Royal Mail. It certainly was as good as purported.

  Haddie rushed back to her small apartment and locked the door. Kneeling beside her bed, she pulled out the paper bag hidden beneath her bed. She opened the London parcel then placed the new fabric beside the ruined shirt. Perfect. Once she’d remade the side that Riley had cut open, Ivy wouldn’t be able to tell that her blouse had been repaired.

  Before leaving Kentucky, she’d packed in a small sewing box containing her seam ripper, pins and needles, a pair of sharp scissors, and spools of thread in varying colors. She just never knew when she’d need one of those items. She lifted a spindle of blue and held it against the new fabric.

  Exactly the shade she needed.

  Thank You, Lord.

  Her breath hitched, the fact that she was on semi-speaking terms with God taking her by surprise. Had the sea air of Chapel Cove softened her heart?

  Dark brown eyes and a smooth, baritone voice drifted into her memory. Not that they’d ever left. The song Riley had sung in her stead had mulled in her mind the past three days. If he ever wanted to give up the hectic life of an EMT, he could just become a singer at Tía Irma’s. He would probably make more money, because he’d been really popular on Tuesday night with several more requests for “Haddie” to sing that evening. After his fourth time up on stage, Riley had decided to call the evening quits and took her home. Somehow, Haddie got the distinct impression that that hadn’t been Riley’s first time behind the
microphone. Or even the second.

  She’d missed seeing Riley the rest of the week, but he’d been working nights. So when he was catching up on his sleep, she was hard at work in the bookshop. She’d wondered why he hadn’t popped in for a cup of coffee in the afternoons though. Maybe he just wasn’t into her as much as she’d thought.

  Haddie walked to the bathroom. The new fabric would need to be pre-washed. The last thing she wanted was for the replacement panel to shrink on the first wash Ivy gave the repaired blouse.

  She filled the sink with cold water and added some detergent. After washing the rectangular strip of cloth, she hung it over the white towel on the rail beside the half bath.

  Leaving that to dry, Haddie settled on her bed and lifted the blouse and seam ripper. Able to make an earlier start on repairing Ivy’s shirt than anticipated, she now didn’t mind that she wouldn’t see Riley until noon tomorrow.

  After he’d dropped her off on Tuesday night, Riley had asked Haddie if she planned to go to church on Sunday. She certainly wouldn’t have missed the opportunity if she were going with him. But Riley would’ve just finished a week of night shifts—Saturday nights somehow particularly busy and exhausting according to him—and would be catching a few hours of sleep, so she said no.

  She couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Riley had something special planned. Or so he said. As long as it wasn’t a karaoke lunch, she’d be happy. Not that she’d minded the karaoke evening—it had been a lot of fun and it was wonderful to listen to Riley sing. So for sure she’d love to do it again, only she never wanted to hear her name called out from that stage. This could be difficult seeing as Riley had now taken on her name, although she was certain the townsfolk had been playing along on Tuesday night. Riley seemed to be well-known around Chapel Cove.

  And now she had something special planned for him too. If she worked really hard today and tomorrow morning, she might just be able to surprise him. It all depended on how much work she could get done on the blouse without Ivy noticing what she was up to.

  Excitement swirled in Riley’s chest making his heart beat faster every time he thought of what he’d planned for tomorrow. Haddie was going to love it. Less than twenty-four hours and counting until he’d be with her again. He would love to see Haddie every day, but he needed to be patient, draw her in slowly. As God was doing with her he was sure. That’s why he’d resisted the urge to stop by Ivy’s bookshop for coffee and cake this week. Although it had been difficult not to leave his apartment the past three afternoons and detour past Spruce Street before his shift started.

  A 911 call to an all too familiar address and an all too overused injury had Pete speeding the ambulance over the bridge crossing Sweetwater River then up the hill to the end of Seabreeze Avenue. Riley had been tempted to tell Pete there was no reason to drive so fast, that it was only Anna up to her usual weekend tricks, but Riley suspected his friend was well-aware of that fact and chose to ignore it. Pete never missed an opportunity to floor it, especially up that winding road past the cliffside mansions of Chapel Cove’s elite families.

  Pete pulled the ambulance to a stop outside the Alversons’ three-story home and cut the lights and siren. Riley and Pete clambered out of the emergency vehicle simultaneously then strolled to the large, wooden front door. They’d gotten to the point of knowing it was never really an emergency when summoned to this house. He so wished Anna would set that date—then he could be done with playing her games. Still, when the time came and he was no longer indebted to her, he’d need to find a way to let her down gently. It wasn’t that Anna was a horrible or even an unattractive person; she just wasn’t for him.

  Riley tapped on the door with the brass knocker. The rapping echoed through the house.

  Moments later the door cracked open and the Alversons’ middle-aged housekeeper beckoned them inside.

  “I believe Miss Anna has taken a fall?” Riley didn’t believe for a moment that Anna had actually hurt herself or needed medical attention.

  The woman nodded and led them down two steps into the large, sunken living room where a fire crackled on the hearth. How many times had he treated Anna for minor ailments right here?

  Anna lay stretched out on the sofa, eyes closed, her flaming curls and red manicured toes a stark contrast to the white leather beneath her. A gel pack covered her left ankle. A twinge of guilt niggled. Had he been wrong? Had she actually hurt herself this time?

  He placed his medical bag down on the floor and knelt beside the sofa. “Anna, it’s Riley.”

  Her eyes flickered open. “Riley. Oh, thank you for coming.” She eased up and gave him a smothering hug.

  Riley unwrapped her arms from his shoulders. “Lie down, Anna.”

  With a nod, she complied, and he shifted down to assess her ankle. After removing the gel pack, he placed it on the sofa in front of Anna’s feet. He couldn’t see any swelling, bruising, or skin discoloration. He gently applied pressure to her ankle.

  As if it took time to register what he had done, Anna gave a delayed wince. And only a slight one at that.

  Had he been played yet again?

  Turning his face away from the woman, Riley glanced up at Pete with a raised brow and pursed lips. His friend would quickly read the tell-tale signs of his annoyance and find a way to hurry them out of there. Hopefully no genuine calls would come in while they were out here on a wild goose chase.

  Pete merely stared back, mild amusement etching his face. The twinkle in his eyes, flared nostrils, twitching at the sides of his mouth… And yes, that deep inhale he always took when trying to contain his laughter. Pete was enjoying seeing Riley suffer.

  Riley turned back to Anna. “So, what happened?” He clamped his mouth shut and ground his molars together for a moment lest he add a sarcastic ‘this time’ to the end of his question. “Did you fall?”

  “Only for you, lover.” A smile played on Anna’s lips as she gazed with longing into Riley’s eyes. Then she lifted her head and nodded toward the two steps into the living room. “I did twist my ankle coming down those stupid things.”

  “But did you hurt yourself, Anna?” Riley tried hard to keep the irritation from his tone.

  Anna’s eyes flashed. “I. Don’t. Know.” Exasperation laced her voice. “I missed a step, wobbled, and then landed on the couch. I was too scared to walk, so I called for Elisama to bring the cold pack, and then I called 911. My parents are out for lunch so I’m alone. I guess maybe I panicked a little.”

  You think?

  Her eyes flicked across to the housekeeper. “You can go now, Elisama. We’ll see you next weekend.”

  “I can stay with you until your parents come home, Miss Anna.”

  Anna shook her head. “That’s not necessary, but thank you.”

  Elisama gave a small curtsy then turned to go. She obviously knew better than to argue with Anna Alverson. Any of the Alversons for that matter. The family was a formidable force.

  “Anna, do you think you can walk?” On her feet, Riley would be able to ascertain just how much she had or hadn’t hurt herself. He could check for joint instability or whether she had any difficulty bearing weight.

  She batted her lashes. Slowly. “I–I can try…but only if you help me.”

  Anna held out her hands to Riley so he shoved to his feet then helped her up. She clung to his neck like superglue.

  Much as he didn’t want to encourage Anna by sliding an arm around her waist, if he was to be her crutch for the next minute or two, he would need to.

  Anna hopped beside him as they walked the length of the living room.

  Wouldn’t help if she didn’t try to stand on her foot. Riley encouraged her to make an attempt.

  “I will in a moment,” she whispered. “But first I want to let you know that I’ve chosen a day—well actually, night—for our bachelor auction date. Hopefully the first of many to come.”

  She had? Finally…

  Thank You, Jesus.

  And no, it wouldn’t be th
e first of many. It would be the first and the last date that he and Anna would go on.

  Their path blocked by the double height floor to ceiling windows, Riley gazed out across the cold, gray Pacific. “When is it so I can mark the date on my calendar?”

  Anna turned into Riley’s arms. He felt her body straighten as she stood on both feet. “A week from Thursday.”

  “A Thursday? I thought your family only came to Chapel Cove on the weekends.”

  Anna nodded. “I’m making an exception. I’ll be driving down from Portland two days earlier. There’s no way I’ll miss being with you on that day.”

  Riley did a quick calculation in his head. Only twelve more days and he’d have this obligation behind him. Hurray!

  Like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, reality struck. That day? No… That was February 14th—Valentine’s Day. He had hoped to take Haddie out for a romantic evening, kick the attraction between them up a notch. If only he could say no to Anna’s request, but there was no way he could get out of this.

  And what about Haddie? Could he tell her? Should he? What would she think of a man allowing a woman to pay so dearly for his company?

  The words “male escort” sprang to mind. Would that be Haddie’s first thought? The term soured in his mouth. As did the memory of the time during training in Landing when he’d posed with some fellow students for a bare-chested EMT/Firefighter calendar. He’d kicked himself many times over the past seventeen years for his stupidity, but in his defense, it had happened during a backslidden period in his life. And the calendar had been for a good cause. Same as the Bachelor Auction that had landed him on this date with Anna. But that calendar had cost him the girl he’d been dating back home in Bay Port, the one he’d thought he loved. He had chosen to be open with Katie and told her about the fundraiser calendar—granted after the thing had been printed. Katie just couldn’t get past the fact that he would forever be on display for other girls to drool over.

  He didn’t want to lose Haddie over a date that meant nothing to him and would be over soon enough. There was no Riley and Anna—this was the fulfilment of an obligation, nothing more—so why risk upsetting Haddie unnecessarily with the details of what he needed to do on Valentine’s Day and why? If only he knew her better, knew how she’d react. But he didn’t.