Lake Season

by Denise Hunter

  Ben grabbed her arm. “Don’t, Lizzie. It won’t do any good. I don’t want to come between you and your parents. That was never my intention.”

  Heat prickled behind her eyes. “He shouldn’t have said that to you! He shouldn’t have made you feel less than. You’re a wonderful man. I couldn’t find a better man if I searched the whole world over!”

  “Aw, honey . . .” He thumbed away the tears on her cheek. “He didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. Look at the life you live. I couldn’t begin to provide all this for you.”

  “I don’t need all this! I only need you, don’t you understand that?”

  He shook his head slowly. “That’s not the way the world works. A couple needs more than love, Lizzie. You haven’t struggled like I have. It’s not fun. It’s not easy. It’s bound to cause all kinds of problems. I don’t want that for us.”

  “It won’t be like that. I love you.”

  “I love you too, angel. But I think we need a new plan.”

  The words gave her a bit of hope. She’d been so afraid he was breaking up for good. She waited for him to continue, not liking the resolve that was coming over his face.

  “I want to make something better of myself. I want to go to college and get a real career and be able to support you the way you deserve.”

  “That costs a lot of money, Ben. And we don’t need that anyway. When I graduate, I’ll be able to get a good-paying job, and we’ll be just fine. You’ll see.”

  He was already shaking his head. “I’m not living off my wife’s money, Lizzie. It’s my job to provide, not yours.”

  “I’ve been working since I was fourteen. I want to work, Ben. I enjoy it.”

  “Be that as it may, I aim to have a real job, a career, and to get one I need a college degree.” His tone was resolved to the point of obstinacy.

  Maybe she was going to have to compromise a little. “All right. All right then. After I get my degree I’ll get a good job, and then you can go to college—”

  “I’m enlisting in the military, Lizzie.”

  Her stomach bottomed out. Her lips parted, but no words were forming on her tongue. The military? That was a four-year commitment. They wouldn’t be married for years. He could even die over there. What if he never came home to her?

  She shook her head adamantly.

  He took hold of her arms. “Just listen, Lizzie. If I enlist they’ll pay for my schooling. When I get out you’ll be graduated, and we can get married then. I’ll be able to make something of myself. Make your dad see that I’m worthy of you.”

  “Ugh! You’re already worthy, Ben! Why can’t you see that?”

  “You have to look at things from his point of view, Lizzie. His only daughter is going to nursing school on a full academic scholarship, and she wants to marry some no-good elementary school janitor. Assistant janitor, even. You could do so much better.”

  She jerked out of his hold. “You’re a good man, Ben! And you don’t understand a single thing. You’ll never get Daddy’s approval, because you can’t change what he despises most about you!”

  He blinked, going still.

  She hadn’t wanted to say it, but all the cards were on the table now. And the stakes were high. So very high. “Daddy’s prejudiced, Ben. I’m ashamed to admit it, but he is, and you’ll never get his approval for that reason alone, even if you became the president of the United States!”

  She hated the hurt, the hopelessness, that washed over his face. Hated that she’d put it there. But she had to make him understand that there was nothing he could do to earn her father’s approval. That they didn’t even need it.

  “So you see, there’s no reason for you to enlist. It won’t change anything. And if you want to get your college degree, you can do it later when I have a good job. We don’t have to change our plans at all. We’re a team, you and me. We’ll make this work. We’ll do whatever we have to do.”

  He was quiet for a good long time. The crickets in the nearby copse of trees chirped, filling the silence.

  She closed the gap between them and touched his arm. He was helpless under her touch—he’d told her so. She stroked the smooth flesh of his arm, the springy hairs tickling the pads of her fingers.

  His face softened, his eyes intent on hers.

  She breathed in the smell of him, willing him with her eyes to see things her way.

  A look of tenacity came over his features. He cradled her face. “I know you want to get married now, angel. I do too. I’m only asking you to wait for me. It’ll only be four years, and you’ll be busy getting your education, so time will fly—”

  She leaped back, making his hands fall. “No! Aren’t you listening to me? I won’t wait, Ben. Four years is forever, and anything could happen in that time. You could die over there, don’t you know that? Men go to war and never come back.”

  “I’ll come back to you, Lizzie.”

  “You don’t know that! No! I won’t wait. I can’t do it, I just can’t.”

  The crickets had ceased their chirping. Only the ragged sound of her breathing broke the silence.

  “I can’t marry you right now, Lizzie. Not like this. I have to earn his respect. I have to do right by you. It’s about honor. It’s more important to me than anything. If we’re meant to be—”

  “If we’re meant to be?” She took a staggering step backward.

  “—four years won’t change that. You know what I mean.”

  She gritted her teeth, daring the tears to fall. “I’m not waiting. Especially not for someone who isn’t even sure I’m worth waiting for.”

  “You know that’s not what I meant, Lizzie. I love you and I always—”

  “Just go, Ben! Just go ahead and leave now if that’s what you want to do. Go off to war and never come back, and see if I even care!”

  “Lizzie . . . you don’t mean that. You’re just angry right—”

  “I do mean it! If you enlist I don’t ever want to see you again!” She turned around and fled into her house, too angry even to look at him.

  It only took twelve hours for Lizzie to regret everything she’d said. But the next morning when she drove to the Lewises’ cottage Ben was already gone.

  thirty-nine

  Present Day

  Molly bent forward from her seated position on the mat and reached toward her toes. Her hamstrings cried for mercy.

  Beside her, Skye was folded in half, her flat stomach against her thighs, her forehead resting on her knees.

  “That is not normal,” Molly said.

  “You’ll get your flexibility back. Just keep at it.”

  “I wasn’t that flexible when I was four.”

  “Everybody’s different. It’s not a competition.”

  Molly wasn’t competitive at all. She was happy to let others win. But she’d been on edge since setting up the meeting with Benjamin, and waiting until Thursday was about to kill her nerves. She’d gone over the potential conversation in her head so many times she was about to drive herself crazy.

  “So did you hear about the youth camp?” Skye asked.

  “No, what about it?”

  “Someone bailed it out. There’s an article in today’s paper.”

  “That’s great. Who was it?”

  “I don’t know. It was an anonymous donation. But that’s awesome news, right? That place was a real escape for me. They showed me who God is—and who I am in His sight. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

  “I’m so glad. Whoever saved it, I hope they know how thankful the whole community is.”

  “I’m sure they do.” Skye eased back on the mat, lying down flat, then pushing her belly upward in a perfect bridge.

  Molly followed suit, her bridge obviously in need of major reconstruction.

  “So I heard Adam checked out,” Skye said.

  “Was that in the paper too?”

  “Grapevine.”

  Molly had told Skye they’d had words, but she hadn’t gone into detail—she
couldn’t without giving away Adam’s true identity. And even if he’d broken her trust, she wasn’t about to reciprocate.

  “He rented out a lake house.”

  “Must’ve been some argument.”

  “It’s for the best.”

  That’s what she kept telling herself every time she heard a creak overhead and thought, just for an instant, that Adam was still upstairs. Every time she glanced out the front window and saw his usual parking space empty.

  “Still . . . it’s too bad. I liked him. He really seemed like a genuine guy.”

  Right. Molly rolled her eyes, glad Skye was staring at the ceiling. At least she wasn’t the only one he’d duped.

  Okay, a little harsh. Molly kept rehashing what he’d told her about his dad and all those expectations he couldn’t live up to. She could empathize with him, even though she’d been blessed in the parental department.

  She was still working on forgiving him though.

  Just as Molly’s back was about to give out, Skye lowered to the mat and sat up, easing into a seated twist.

  “Okay . . .” her friend said dryly. “I guess we’re not going to talk about that. Let’s talk about Benjamin. You’re going to see him Thursday, right? And don’t forget your breathing.”

  Molly drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “Yep. He’s in Knoxville, living in a retirement village.”

  “Want some company? I have three classes on Thursdays, but I can get Leanne to take them. She’s been begging for more hours.”

  “Um . . . Adam’s coming along with me actually.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “Don’t make too much of it. I just figured he deserved to be there since he’s been as invested in this mystery as I’ve been.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Not really.”

  “If you say so.”

  Molly shot her a look.

  “What?” Skye asked, all innocence.

  “Aren’t we supposed to be focusing on our mental well-being?”

  “We are.” Skye switched sides, stretching toward the mirrored wall. “So how much longer will he be in town?”

  “Another week or so, I guess.” She rolled her eyes at her friend’s reflection. “Just go ahead and spit it out, Skye. You know you want to.”

  “I’m trying not to be pushy.”

  “Not possible. Let’s just get it over with.”

  “I don’t know what you and Adam argued about . . . but are you sure it’s important enough to call it quits over?”

  “Call it quits? It never even got off the ground.” Never mind the rebellious thumping of her heart or the squishy lump forming in her throat.

  “I saw the way you looked at him when I was over a few weeks ago, Molly. And you know what? When you weren’t paying attention, he was looking at you the same way.”

  Molly swallowed hard, but the lump didn’t budge. Her eyes were starting to sting too, doggonit.

  “He broke my trust, Skye. That’s all I need to know.”

  “All right. I won’t push you on this, especially since I don’t have all the facts. But he didn’t seem like Dominic to me. I didn’t get those smarmy vibes from him.”

  “It’s true that Adam’s offense was different from Dominic’s,” Molly said. “Less . . . flagrant. He’s not a bad person. But after what happened with Dominic . . . I just don’t have it in me to go through that again. I need someone I can trust.”

  A long pause ensued as they eased onto their backs and pulled their knees into their chests.

  “Remember five years ago when my mom got fired?” Skye asked. “And then she couldn’t get another job because, you know, nobody wants to hire a drunk?”

  “Right.”

  “Remember how freaked out I was about my future? I was afraid I was going to end up working in that greasy diner till I was forty-five and coming home to a houseful of cats.”

  “You do have a houseful of cats.”

  “Only three. But then Miss Mirabelle gave me a job here, and it changed my life. God worked everything out. I’m part owner, and I love what I do. But the point is, I was dealing with some major fear for a while, so I know what that looks like. I know what that feels like. And girl—you’ve got a fear thing going on.”

  Molly blinked at her, her back going stiff even though she was lying down. “How do you figure?”

  Skye pulled in her other knee. “You’re afraid of leaving things badly with people you love in case they die before you see them again. You hug me three times every time we part ways, do you realize that? We haven’t even had a decent argument since your folks passed away.”

  “We’ve never argued, not really.”

  “Fuss, squabble, bicker, whatever. You’re so careful to keep things congenial, even with me, and you know I love a good fight.”

  “Is that a crime? And what does all this have to do with Adam anyway?” Did she really just bring the subject back around to him?

  “You’re afraid of getting hurt again, Molly. I mean, I know Dominic did a job on you, I get that. What he did was inexcusable. But you’ve been so busy trying to protect yourself you won’t let anybody in.”

  “I just haven’t met the right person, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure? You met Adam, and you genuinely liked him. I get the feeling you might be using this little snafu with him to keep him at arm’s length.”

  “So I have a little trust issue. Is it any wonder after Dominic?”

  “It’s more than that, Molly. And I’m only saying this because I love you. But doesn’t it seem a little telling that your only infatuation since Dominic has been with an author?”

  Molly’s eyes shot to Skye. Had she somehow figured out that Adam was Nathaniel Quinn?

  “I mean,” Skye continued, “it wasn’t safe enough to become infatuated with just any old author. You had to go and find an anonymous, reclusive one just to be absolutely certain he was safe.”

  Molly breathed a quiet sigh. “Well, at least I didn’t go for an inmate on death row. And he’s not reclusive, just . . . a little shy.”

  Skye sat up. “That’s your defense?”

  Molly sat up, bristling. “I shouldn’t have to defend myself. Maybe for once in your life you should just butt out, Skye.” Her raised voice echoed through the studio.

  “I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t care about you, Molly. Nathaniel Quinn was safe. He wasn’t going to hurt you because you were never going to meet him.”

  And yet that’s exactly what happened.

  But Molly couldn’t even digest that because she’d just raised her voice at her best friend, who was only trying to help. What was wrong with her?

  She looked at Skye, her eyes watering. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, and I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Skye gave her a pointed look, and Molly realized she was doing just what her friend had said she’d been doing—avoiding arguments, making sure she left things well. The fear roiling in her belly right now was proof enough that Skye was right. About everything.

  “It’s fine.” Skye put her hand over Molly’s. “If you don’t think Adam’s worth fighting for, that’s one thing. I just don’t want fear to keep you from someone who could be really good for you.”

  There was that word again. Fear. It seemed to be coming up a lot lately. She never used to have this problem. She’d always considered herself to be well adjusted. Fairly brave, even.

  God, what is wrong with me? What’s happened to me?

  “You know,” Skye said, “when I went through all that with my mom and my future, you know what I figured out? Fear is often just a lack of faith. I wasn’t trusting God with my future.”

  Molly stared at her fingers. Started pushing back the cuticles. “I don’t know why I’m being so defensive. You’re right. I have been anxious since my folks passed, about a lot of things. It hasn’t been fun. But I don’t have a clue how to get beyond it.”

  “It’s going to take some time, Molly. Lo
sing your parents like that, so suddenly—it was devastating. It was bound to leave its mark, one way or another.”

  “I guess so.”

  “I have some scriptures that really helped get me through that time. I can text them to you if you want.”

  “Sure. Yeah, it wouldn’t hurt, I guess.” She needed something to help her figure this out. She didn’t want to live a fearful life. She didn’t like feeling uptight and anxious all the time.

  Molly’s phone vibrated on the end of her mat, and she checked it just in case it was an emergency. That was another accommodation she’d made since her parents died, she suddenly realized. She made sure her phone was charged and within reach at all times.

  She frowned at the screen. What could Nonnie want? Molly had left a message with her yesterday about finding Benjamin and their plans to go see him Thursday.

  “It’s Miss Nonnie.”

  “Go ahead,” Skye said. “I think we’re about finished here anyway.”

  Molly answered the phone.

  “Hi, Molly.” Nonnie sounded upset. “I got your message.”

  “Are you all right, Miss Nonnie? You’re not sick again, are you?”

  “No, honey, I—I’m just a wreck over all this, that’s all. I’ve been praying about what to do since I got your message.”

  “A wreck? About me going to see Benjamin?”

  A long silence ensued. She traded a glance with Skye and shrugged. She would’ve thought they’d lost their connection except she heard something rattling in the background.

  “Honey, I think you need to come over.” There were tears in her voice. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something about Lizzie. Can you come over yet today?”

  “I can come over right now if that’s all right.”

  “Yes, yes, that would be wonderful. I think I just need to get this off my chest.”

  Molly shook her head. What could it be? “I’ll be there in fifteen or twenty minutes, all right? Sit tight, and don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “What’s going on?” Skye stood with Molly and followed her to the door.

  Molly shouldered her purse. “I don’t know. She said she needs to tell me something about Lizzie, and she seemed pretty upset. Sorry to rush off like this, but I’m a little worried about her.”