Vicki’s Gift

by Fischer, Kristin Noel

  A muscle in Seth’s jaw tightened. “It’s good to see him. I can’t believe how big his little boy is. I remember holding him in the hospital when he was just a newborn. He’s like a real little kid now.”

  “He is.” I smiled, waves of happiness lapping against me. I’d forgotten this wonderful feeling. Forgotten how easy things had been with Seth. Forgotten how much I loved talking to him and just being with him.

  In the four years since our breakup, I’d gone on so many horrible dates I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with me. Now, it seemed clear that I wasn’t the problem, but rather the guys I dated.

  Not one of them . . . not a single one of them made me feel the way Seth made me feel. Warm, tingly, safe, secure. I smiled at Seth, and he returned my smile.

  Could we just pick up where we left off? Maybe he could get a job with the Rose Island Fire Department, and we could try again. Maybe—

  “What are you reading these days?” he asked.

  I smiled at the question. “I’m going through a Francine Rivers phase right now. I just finished The Scarlet Thread. What about you?”

  “I’ve been rereading The Lord of the Rings trilogy along with a couple of David McCullough biographies. One about Truman and—”

  A woman came into the kitchen, interrupting us. Walking right up to Seth, she slipped an arm around his waist. “Hon, did you try the double chocolate brownies?”

  Seth glanced at me nervously before nodding at the woman. “I had four.”

  She laughed and flipped her short blonde hair that was similar to how I used to wear mine. “Four? Why am I not surprised?” Smiling at me, she shook her head. “Seth loves chocolate.”

  I wanted to say I knew all about Seth’s love of chocolate, but how did she know?

  “I’m Scarlet.” She thrust out her hand.

  I shook it and somehow managed to utter my name. “Vicki.”

  Seth cleared his throat and addressed Scarlet. “Vicki is Marcus’s sister. The youngest Morgan sister.”

  “Oh my goodness. You’re the bakery owner?”

  I nodded. “I am.”

  Scarlet flipped her hair. “Those brownies are the best. You have to give me the recipe.”

  “Sure.” I could hear the false cheerfulness in my voice. I seldom gave out my recipes, and I certainly wasn’t going to be giving my brownie recipe to her.

  “That would be so wonderful. Let me give you my contact information.” She strode across the kitchen and retrieved a business card from her purse on the counter.

  Well, good for Seth. He’d found a new girlfriend that was both cute and efficient. Hadn’t I prayed for him to find love again when I went out to the property for the last time?

  As Scarlet handed me her business card, I decided that I would send her the recipe, thus proving to myself I really was over Seth.

  Chapter 14

  Seth

  “What’s the deal with you and Vicki?” Scarlet asked as we drove back to Harker Heights that night.

  Gripping the steering wheel a little harder, I kept my eyes firmly on the road. “What do you mean?”

  She scoffed. “You kept looking at her during the party. When I came into the kitchen, it was obvious I interrupted something.”

  Every cell in my body wanted to deny it. What I had with Scarlet was a good thing. Even though she was an army IT officer and thus incredibly smart and serious, she was also a lot of fun.

  Last night, for example, she’d come over with a bottle of cognac, and we’d had a good time. With Scarlet, I didn’t have to feel, think, or talk about my emotions. We could just hang out, enjoying each other’s company without it being a big deal.

  “Did the two of you date or something?” Scarlet asked.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  I shrugged. “We sort of dated briefly, but that was ages ago.” A light rain began to fall, so I flicked on the windshield wipers. “If I was staring at her tonight, it was only because I was looking for more of those chocolate brownies.”

  “Right.” Scarlet ignored my weak attempt at a joke by flinging her feet onto the dash, something I was always telling her not to do because it was dangerous. As a firefighter, I’d gone on more than one call involving a serious injury to someone who’d been riding with their feet on the dash right before an accident.

  Reading my mind, Scarlet yanked her feet back to the ground with a huff. “It may have been ages since y’all were together, but it’s obvious you’re still in love with her.”

  “I’m not in love with her.”

  “Please don’t deny it. Please, at least give me the courtesy of not lying to my face.”

  The rain picked up, so I set the windshield wipers on high. Suddenly, I was filled with the memory of another rainy day . . . the day I kissed Vicki in her car after coming up with the workaround. She’d felt amazing in my arms as rain pounded on the roof and steam fogged up the windows. I’d—

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Robbie?”

  My head throbbed. “What?”

  “You never told me you had a brother who died. We’ve been dating nearly a year. Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not something I like to talk about.”

  Sighing, she yanked off her earrings and tossed them in the cupholder. “You never talk to me.”

  I shot her a quick glance. “What are you talking about? I talk to you all the time.”

  “Never about anything important.”

  “I could say the same thing about you.”

  She lifted her chin. “My security clearance doesn’t allow me to talk about a lot of things, but you know all about my family. I barely know anything about you. I’ve never even met your grandmother.”

  It was true. Losing Robbie had ruined my ability to talk about anything more important than cat videos, music, and new items on the Taco Bell menu. Sometimes I told Scarlet about work, but mostly I kept things light. Why was she ruining things by bringing up Robbie?

  “When we first met,” she began, a catch in her throat, “I thought you were the one. I told my dad I was going to marry you. I thought we were perfect together because we both wanted the same things. But now—”

  “Now what?” I asked, unsure why I was prodding her.

  “I don’t think we should see each other anymore, Seth.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, surprised by how emotional I felt. I didn’t love Scarlet. I cared about her, but I didn’t love her as I’d once loved Vicki. “Does this have anything to do with that guy you talked to at your high school reunion?”

  Scarlet shook her head. “I told you. Ford and I are just friends.”

  I didn’t believe her. Ever since returning from her high school reunion, she’d been distracted. Then again, I’d been distracted ever since seeing Vicki this afternoon.

  For the rest of the way home, Scarlet and I rode in silence. When I pulled into her apartment complex, she heaved a huge sigh. “Life is short, Seth. You shouldn’t waste it.”

  “I didn’t think I was.”

  She gathered her earrings from the cup holder. “I will always care about you, but I can’t be with someone who is emotionally unavailable.”

  “Emotionally unavailable?”

  She nodded. “You need therapy, Seth.”

  “I don’t need therapy.”

  “Your parents died. Then, you lost your brother. Who knows what else happened to you. It’s okay to get help.”

  “I know.”

  She clipped her earrings back on. “No, I don’t think you do. In fact, I think that’s why you drink so much.”

  I scowled at her. “I don’t drink that much. And you’re one to talk.”

  “Right.” She shook her head. “Look, I’m not going to fight with you. But seriously. Get some help for your drinking.”

  “I’m not an alcoholic.”

  “No?”
>
  “No.”

  “Why don’t you see if you can go a week without drinking. If you can, then fine. You’ve proved you’re not an alcoholic. If you can’t go a week, then you need to go to therapy or AA or—”

  “Okay, Scarlet. Thank you for your advice. Good night.”

  She hesitated. “Good-bye, Seth.” With that, she climbed out of the truck and headed toward her apartment building.

  Because I wasn’t a complete jerk, I waited until she was safe inside. Breaking up was a good thing, I told myself. The best thing ever.

  My stomach uneasy, I drove across town to collect King from the older lady who kept him when I was working. As usual, Beverly wanted to give me a detailed report of everything King and the other dogs in her care had done that day. To prove I could be emotionally available, I stayed and listened to her account of the day.

  Back at my place, both King and I collapsed on the couch and read the final book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well, I read while nursing a whiskey. King slept soundly beside me, worn out from the day.

  As I sat there, listening to the soft snores of my dog, my mind drifted to Scarlet’s grand observation. Was I still in love with Vicki? It’d been four years after all. So much had changed, and I definitely wasn’t the same person I’d been back then. I knew our breakup had been my fault. I never should’ve let her go. Was it too late? Probably . . . but what if it wasn’t? What if I still had a chance with Vicki?

  Lifting the bottle on the side table, I was shocked to find it empty. This wasn’t the bottle I’d just bought, was it?

  I felt sick by how quickly I’d consumed it. Not that the alcohol helped. No, nothing ever filled the cavern ripped through my chest by losing all that mattered—my parents, my brother, my family’s property, and Vicki.

  I glanced at the phone and thought about calling Abuela. She was doing well, sharing a house with her sister and working part-time at the library.

  I’d just visited her last week, and she seemed happy. Actually, she seemed so happy it nearly killed me. Why couldn’t I be happy like that?

  Oh, Lord . . . my prayer ended there. Lately, that was the extent of my prayer life. Desperate to figure things out, I added two more words. Help me.

  Chapter 15

  Vicki

  Saying good-bye to Keith and Marcus was tough, but in all honesty, I was more upset over seeing Seth at the going away party. I supposed I felt that Keith and Marcus would be fine. Keith had deployed and returned home unharmed lots of times. Marcus, thanks to Keith, had been assigned to a relatively safe position in the unit.

  In regard to Seth and my lingering feelings toward him, I was at a loss. Shouldn’t I be over him by now? He’d certainly gotten over me easily enough.

  So, what was my problem? Why was I still hung up on him? Any ideas, Lord? Any advice?

  Determined not to waste another minute on my hopeless love life, I went about my day, working in the kitchen, waiting on customers, and reassuring everyone who asked about Marcus and Keith that they were going to be fine.

  “They both have a strong love of God and country,” I told more than one customer. “This is what they’ve trained for. They’ll be okay. Please just keep Anna, Jillian, and the rest of our family in your prayers because it’s difficult not to worry.”

  Everyone was incredibly supportive, promising to pray and help in any way. The community’s response made me grateful I lived where people sincerely cared about each other.

  That evening, as I was getting ready to meet Anna and my sisters for what had become our monthly dinner and scrapbooking event, my phone dinged with a text. When I saw the message was from Seth, my pulse jolted.

  “It was great seeing you at the party,” he wrote.

  Standing in my living room, staring at my phone, excitement shot through me. With my hands shaking, I responded, “It was great seeing you too.”

  The cursor indicating he was typing flashed for what seemed like centuries. What was he writing? Should I say something about Scarlet? Maybe I should ask about King. The blinker stopped, and for a moment, there was nothing.

  Then, four wonderful words filled the screen. “Can I call you?”

  “Yes,” I automatically typed.

  “Now?” he asked.

  “Yes, now is good.”

  A second later, my phone rang. “Hello?” I said as though clueless to who could be calling.

  “Hi.” His deep voice sent a thrill through me. “What are you up to?”

  “I’m just getting ready to go to Jillian’s house for scrapbooking. Anna and my sisters and I have really gotten into it.”

  “Oh, okay. That’s nice.”

  “Yeah.” In the background, I heard a car honking.

  “Are you driving?” I asked.

  “I am.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know.” He hesitated. “I just got in my truck and started driving south. I was thinking about you, and I thought . . . I thought maybe if you weren’t doing anything, you could meet me somewhere, and we could talk. But I don’t want to interrupt your night with Anna and your sisters.”

  I willed my heart to stop racing. “What did you want to talk about?”

  He met my question with silence before finally saying, “Us. I was hoping we could talk about us.”

  I found myself straightening the books on my bookshelf even though they were in perfect order. Brushing a speck of dust off a Colleen Coble book, I asked about Scarlet.

  “She broke up with me.”

  My heart flipped over in my chest. “She did?”

  Someone, Bianca probably, pounded on my door with a high sense of urgency. I looked through the peephole to see my sister frantically waving.

  “Hold on,” I told Seth. Pressing the phone against me so Bianca wouldn’t be able to see who I was talking to, I opened the door.

  “Are you ready?” She shifted the heavy scrapbooking tote containing all her supplies from one hand to the other.

  I shook my head. “I’ll meet you there, okay?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m on the phone.”

  “With whom?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Just tell me.”

  “No, Nosy Nelly. It’s private.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll see you at Jillian’s.”

  “Okay.” I closed the door and picked the phone back up. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t want to keep you from your sisters.”

  “No?”

  “No, not at all.”

  In a voice I knew was flirtatious, I asked, “What do you want then, Seth?”

  *

  Sitting at Jillian’s kitchen table several minutes later, I tried to focus on Anna, my sisters, and the scrapbook we were making for our parents’ wedding anniversary. Usually, I loved our sister time when the four of us could relax, listen to music, scrapbook, chat, and just be together without the distraction of husbands and kids. Tonight, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Seth had told me over the phone.

  “Look at this picture,” Jillian said, interrupting my thoughts.

  I glanced at a photo showing my parents fishing from the pier down by the marina. They both looked so young and happy. They’d come to Rose Island for their honeymoon and had decided to stay and make a life here.

  Could Seth come back to the island and make a life here with me? Apparently, on the drive home from Marcus and Keith’s going away party, Scarlet had accused Seth of still being in love with me.

  When Seth told me that over the phone, I could barely breathe. “Is it true?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she really said that.”

  I laughed. “I meant the other part.”

  “The part about me still being in love with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  He paused for just the briefest second. “I think it might be true.”

  “Vicki.” Bianca’s voice
shook me back to the present moment.

  “Sorry.” I offered an apologetic smile.

  She eyed me suspiciously. “What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Whatever.” She sighed and held up two photos, both showing my parents on their wedding day. “I’m trying to figure out which photo to use for the cover. What do you think?”

  I studied the photos carefully before choosing the one on the right.

  “But Mom doesn’t look as happy in that one,” Bianca said. “Don’t you like the other one better?”

  I shook my head. “The lighting isn’t as good in that one, and she has a crease in her dress. You can’t see the crease in the other picture.”

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “Which is more important? Happiness or a crease-free dress?”

  “Happiness,” Jillian said, agreeing with Bianca.

  Anna, who always played the role of peacemaker, nodded. “In this case, I have to agree. I think your mom would like the photo where she’s smiling even if it’s not the best picture.”

  I shrugged, used to being the odd one out. I couldn’t help my perfectionist tendencies.

  My phone dinged with a text from Seth. Trying to keep my face neutral so Anna and my sisters wouldn’t suspect anything, I read his message. “Fifty-eight miles.” Delight filled me. Seth was fifty-eight miles away. He’d probably be here in an hour, depending on traffic. Soon, I would offer an excuse to leave so I could go home and wait for Seth. Then . . . well, then I’d just have to see what happened.

  “I got a letter from Marcus today,” Anna said, bringing me back to the conversation.

  I nodded and pretended I didn’t already know about Anna’s letter. My mother had come into the bakery this afternoon, upset that Anna had already received three letters from Marcus while my mom hadn’t even heard from him once. I reminded her about the Bible verse that talked about a man leaving his parents and cleaving to his wife, but my mother failed to see the connection.

  “How’s Marcus doing?” Jillian asked.

  Anna lifted a shoulder. “Okay, I think.”

  Jillian cropped a photo of my parents posing in front of their first Christmas tree as a married couple. They’d decorated it with seashells, tiny pieces of driftwood, and sea glass they’d found on the beach. “What about you and Travis? How are you two handling Marcus being gone?”