Vicki’s Gift

by Fischer, Kristin Noel

  Anna sat back in her chair. “I’m hanging in there, and Travis is really too young to understand. He misses his Daddy, but he seems okay.”

  Jillian nodded. “My boys were the same way when they were that age.”

  Anna continued. “The day Marcus left was horrible. It felt like someone had reached into my heart and ripped it out. It’s been a few weeks now, and I’m doing better. I’m not saying everything is easy, but it’s not completely horrible. I still miss him every minute of every day. Being here with y’all has made things bearable. And your parents have been wonderful. They’re so supportive.”

  “That’s good,” Bianca said.

  Jillian nodded. “I agree. This deployment has been so much easier on the boys and me. Last time, we were stuck in the middle of the desert at Fort Bliss, El Paso. In hindsight, I should’ve come back to Rose Island, but I didn’t think Keith would be gone for so long. Everyone thought the unit would be back in six months, but they ended up being gone almost thirteen.”

  “Thirteen months?” All the color drained from Anna’s face. “There’s a huge difference between six months and thirteen months. Do you think something like that could happen this time?”

  Jillian came to her senses, realizing she shouldn’t be so cavalier when talking to Anna about military stuff. “I don’t think they’ll be gone that long. The mission seems a little more organized this time, and I trust the commander. I think he’ll make sure they come back on time.”

  “As long as they come back safe,” Bianca said.

  Seth texted me again, offering a welcomed distraction from talk of the deployment. “Forty-nine miles.”

  I hid a smile. “You’re not texting and driving, are you?”

  “No, I stopped for gas.”

  I sent him a thumbs-up. “Be safe. See you soon.”

  He responded with a thumbs-up of his own.

  Pushing away from the table, Jillian came to her feet. “I’ll be right back. I just have to use the bathroom.”

  “Again?” Bianca said. “You just went five minutes ago.”

  Jillian laughed. “Wow. Talk about an invasion of privacy. I didn’t know you were keeping track, Madam Potty Police.”

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “It’s hard not to keep track when you go every five minutes. Maybe you should see a doctor. You might have a bladder infection.”

  Jillian batted a dismissive hand. “I don’t have a bladder infection, I have a baby in my belly.”

  “What?” Bianca shouted. “Are you serious?”

  Jillian grinned. “Yes. I’m pregnant.”

  Immediately, Bianca leapt to her feet and gave Jillian a huge hug. “That’s amazing.”

  Jillian patted Bianca’s back. “Thanks.”

  Anna also embraced Jillian. “That’s wonderful. I’m so excited for you. Congratulations.”

  Tucking my phone into my pocket, I forced a smile and congratulated my sister as well. Deep down, however, I was worried.

  Jillian had a painful history of miscarriages. If she lost this baby while Keith was gone during the deployment, that would be incredibly hard on her.

  “Does Keith know about the baby?” Bianca asked.

  Jillian placed a hand on her stomach and nodded. “I told him the night before he left. I haven’t told Mom and Dad yet. I don’t want them to worry about me. I wasn’t even going to tell y’all until I was further along, but it’s hard to keep a secret like this. I’m really excited.”

  Anna gave Jillian another hug. “I’m so glad you told us. This is really good news. I just know that everything is going to be fine. Promise me you’ll ask for help if you need it.”

  Jillian laughed. “I’ll be fine. Honest. But yes, if I need help, I’ll ask. Right now, however, I just need to use the bathroom.”

  Laughing, we let her go.

  *

  Thirty minutes after Jillian announced her pregnancy, I made an announcement of my own. “Girls, I’m sorry, but I need to go home.”

  “Why?” Bianca asked.

  I stood and gathered my things. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day, and I’m just ready to go home. Please don’t take it personally.”

  “We understand,” Anna said.

  To my surprise, everyone nodded and let me go without hassle. I supposed they were so excited about Jillian’s news that they didn’t care about my late arrival and early departure.

  Outside, it was all I could do not to run home. Seth had to be minutes away from crossing the bridge and driving onto the island.

  Would it be awkward when we saw each other? Should I change my clothes? I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard, yet at the same time, I wanted him to know I cared about seeing him.

  Up in my apartment, I changed my outfit about thirteen times, finally settling on a clean pair of jeans and a soft T-shirt. Then, I stood in the middle of the apartment, trying to figure out what to do while I waited. I thought about vacuuming but didn’t want to miss the phone if he called or texted. My mind was too spun up to read, but maybe I could rearrange my living room furniture. Before I could start, my phone rang.

  “Seth?” My voice shook with excitement and nervousness.

  “Hey. I’m here.”

  “Where?”

  “In the parking lot behind the bakery.”

  Telling myself to calm down, I peeked out the window. I watched as Seth climbed out of his truck. He looked so good in dark jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap.

  “Should I just come upstairs?” he asked, unaware I was watching him.

  “Yes, come on up. I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

  “Okay, see you in a second.” He hung up the phone and walked toward the building. Then, he suddenly stopped and returned to his truck.

  My stomach dropped. He wasn’t leaving, was he?

  No, he wasn’t. I laughed as he took off his baseball cap and tossed it onto the seat of the truck. Looking in the side-view mirror, he finger-combed his hair, a gesture that made me realize he was just as nervous and excited as I was.

  When he headed back toward the building, I took a deep breath. Then, I went into the hallway to wait for him.

  After what seemed like forever, I heard his footsteps climbing the stairs. He was really here. In just a matter of seconds, we would be standing face-to-face.

  The top of his head came into view first, then his eyes, his mouth, and his broad shoulders. As his strong legs carried him closer to me, it took every bit of my willpower not to fling myself into his arms.

  “Hey.” He stopped just a few feet away and grinned at me.

  “Hey. You made good time.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. I might’ve broken the speed limit a couple of times.”

  Our gazes locked, and neither one of us dared to move. A thousand thoughts and memories raced through my mind, but I had no idea what to say or do.

  “Can I . . .” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Can I give you a hug?”

  I nodded and felt my smile take over my face. “I’d like that.”

  Returning my smile, he closed the gap between us. As his arms encircled me, I pulled him close. His scent was all around me, enveloping me in a way that made me wonderfully dizzy. Being in his arms felt so right. It just felt 100 percent right.

  Chapter 16

  Seth

  After holding Vicki in the hallway, we went into her apartment and sat on her couch. Taking her hand, I told her how my life had been so empty without her. How I’d missed her so much and had never stopped loving or thinking about her.

  Instead of telling me the same thing, she pulled her hand away. Tucking her feet underneath her, she created a little distance between us. “You pushed me away, Seth. After your brother died, you didn’t want me around. Losing Robbie . . .”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she shook her head. “I can’t imagine anything worse than that. Especially after everything the two of you went through. But why did you block me out? Why didn’t you let me help you?”

&
nbsp; I stared down at my hands and searched for the right words. Suddenly, more than anything, I wanted a drink. Ignoring the thought, I lifted my gaze to Vicki and focused on her. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I’m sorry I did that. All I can say is I was messed up and didn’t know how to be around you.”

  “You didn’t know how to be around me? Was it something I did? Was I too pushy and not understanding enough?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just hope you never have to go through something that painful. People say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but sometimes it feels like certain experiences leave such a rough, ragged scar that you can never fully recover.”

  The tears in her eyes spilled over.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s okay. Maybe by giving me some of that sadness, you won’t have to carry it all by yourself.”

  She placed a hand on my chest, right over my heart. I covered my hand with hers, and we looked at each other for a long time. Then, she leaned toward me and kissed me.

  As our lips touched and I gathered her in my arms, I made a silent promise never to leave her again. Whatever I had to do I would do in order for us to stay together.

  *

  As I drove back to Harker Heights in the early light of dawn several hours later, I desperately wanted a drink. I supposed years of using alcohol during emotionally charged times was a bad habit I’d fallen into.

  Well, starting right now, I’d stop drinking for a little bit. While I didn’t think I was an alcoholic, I was willing to admit that cutting back might be good for me.

  Besides, Vicki seldom drank. Occasionally, she’d enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, but like the rest of her family, that was pretty limited. If Vicki and I were going to be together, I needed to reduce my alcohol consumption.

  Unfortunately, not drinking turned out to be harder than I expected. By day two, I was about to die. I once overheard that you didn’t have to be an alcoholic to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. As long as you desired a different relationship with alcohol, attending a meeting could be helpful.

  So, after getting off work Wednesday morning, I drove over to the meeting at St. Paul Chong Hasang Catholic Church. As I listened to various people talk, I was filled with a sense of peace. These people understood me. Like me, they longed for more control over their lives and felt that addressing their alcohol consumption might be a good place to start.

  After the meeting, I drove home and took a quick nap. When I awoke, I smiled, thrilled that Vicki would soon be here.

  We’d both decided our next date needed to be away from Rose Island. While we didn’t want to keep our relationship a secret like we’d done in the past, we wanted to spend a little time with each other before going public.

  After cleaning my house, I showered and gave King a good brushing. “Vicki’s going to be here any minute. You remember her, right?”

  As if understanding, he panted and wagged his tail. I rubbed his ears and laughed as he pressed into my hand and closed his eyes. According to the vet, King was an extremely healthy dog who had a long life ahead of him.

  “Hey, there,” said a voice through the screen door.

  I glanced up to see Vicki standing on the front porch, looking like an angel. She wore sandals and a beautiful sundress with tiny yellow flowers. The sight of her caused my heart to flip over in my chest. Instead of barking as he usually did, King wagged his tail and trotted toward the door, excited to greet a good friend.

  “Hey, baby. Oh my goodness, it’s good to see you.” Vicki opened the door and sank to the floor. King leaned into her and emitted a groan that hit me right in the gut. Oh, buddy. I know exactly how you feel.

  Vicki laughed as she locked eyes with me. “Aw, I think he’s happy to see me.”

  “He is.”

  Burying her face in his fur, she gave him one last hug before coming to her feet. Keeping her eyes on me, she said, “What about you, Seth? Are you happy to see me?”

  I threw my head back and imitated King’s emotional groan.

  Vicki laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “You should.”

  Smiling, she stepped into my arms.

  Chapter 17

  Vicki

  After Seth gave me the quick tour of his small but adorable house, he threw the ice chest and kayaks into the back of his truck, and we headed for the lake. King lay with his head on my lap, and I couldn’t help but think that life was pretty perfect.

  Suddenly, the back tire of the truck exploded. The muscles in Seth’s arms tightened as he gripped the steering wheel and safely pulled us to the side of the road.

  Leaving King in the truck, Seth and I climbed out to examine the flat tire. “Well, that’s not fun,” I said.

  “No. And I just replaced that tire too. It’s probably from another roofing nail. Every house in my neighborhood is having their roof replaced after the last hailstorm. For some reason, roofing nails love my tires.”

  I offered a sad smile. “Do you have a spare?”

  “I do.”

  “I’ll help you change it.”

  He shook his head. “That’s okay. You can wait in the truck with King.”

  I glanced at King, who was hanging his head out the window, panting. “Changing the tire will be easier if you let me help you. You may not know this about me, but I’m an expert flat tire changer.”

  His brow lifted with amusement. “You are?”

  “Yes. My dad made us all learn how to change a flat before we got our driver’s license.”

  Seth chuckled. “That sounds like your dad.”

  “You think?”

  “For sure.” He gave me a brief kiss on the cheek. “Okay, hotshot. I’ll be in the cab with King drinking a cold one. Call me if you need help.”

  He started to leave, but I pulled him back, laughing. No way was he going to leave me on the side of the road to change the flat by myself.

  For the next several minutes, we worked together, swapping out the damaged tire for the spare one. Because the spare tire was low, we drove directly to the tire store to have it replaced.

  “I’m sorry,” Seth said as we settled ourselves in the waiting room with our sandwiches from the ice chest. King lay at our feet, loving the cool, tile floor. “I imagined this day going a lot differently.”

  I placed a hand on his arm, not bothered at all by the projected hour-long wait to get a new tire. “I’m having fun just being with you. If this is all we do today, I’m okay with that.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes. I didn’t come up here just to go to the lake. I came up here to be with you.”

  He smiled. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  *

  After the delay, we finally got back on the road and reached the lake. Without too much trouble, we managed to unload the kayaks. Because Seth’s was a double, he was able to take King out on the water, something the dog loved. I took several pictures of them, and I swear by the way King held his mouth open he was posing for me.

  On the drive back to Seth’s place, he told me about his plan to grill steaks for dinner. “We can throw some baked potatoes in the oven and make a salad too. For dessert, I have fresh berries since I know you don’t like to eat carbs.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  Reaching across King, he squeezed my hand. “If you want, I have a nice bottle of wine we can open.”

  I hesitated. I didn’t drink that often, but I did enjoy an occasional glass of wine. Seth, however, seemed to drink a lot.

  At his house, there were several empty bottles of hard alcohol in the recycling bin. While we were kayaking, he’d downed a few cans of beer. I’d asked if he wanted me to drive, but he insisted he was fine. Honestly, the beer didn’t seem to have any effect on him, which scared me a little.

  “Wine with dinner sounds lovely,” I finally said, “but I have to driv
e back home tonight. I’m such a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. I should probably skip the wine.”

  He nodded and kept his eyes on the road. “I wish you didn’t have to go tonight.”

  I rested my hand on his face, loving the feel of his whiskers beneath my fingertips. “I feel the same way.”

  When we got back to the house, Seth started the barbecue for the steaks. I washed the potatoes and stuck them in the oven. An old Keith Urban song played in the background while we made the salad together.

  When dinner was ready, we sat at the kitchen table and talked about our future. Both of us wanted to be together, but what exactly did that look like?

  “At the very least,” I said, cutting a piece of steak, “we need to think about living in the same city. Commuting to see each other is going to get old.”

  “I agree. Driving through Houston traffic is miserable.” He took a bite of salad. “What would you think about moving to Harker Heights? You could open a second bakery up here.”

  I smiled, assuming he was joking. The darkness in his eyes told me he was serious.

  “Seth, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I could leave the island. My whole life is there—my bakery, my family, my friends. Don’t you want to come back to the island?”

  “I don’t know.” He took a sip of his iced tea. “I like my job here, and it’s close to my grandmother. Plus . . .”

  “What? Are you afraid you wouldn’t be able to get a job on the island?”

  “No, it’s not that.” He grew silent in a way that scared me.

  “What is it?” I asked. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “Okay.” He set down his glass. “Being back on the island for Marcus’s party was really hard. So many bad things happened to me there—losing my parents, losing Robbie, losing you. And I had to give up my family’s property.”

  I nodded. “I saw that you sold your place. I’m sure that wasn’t easy.”

  “No, but it was the right decision.”