by Ciara Knight
“Hey, you gonna stand there and gawk all day?” A deep, raspy, old voice said from behind. He knew that voice. He’d forgotten how quick small towns spread news. Who needed smart phones and internet when you lived in Silver Springs?
Rex spun on his heels and faced his father. Old, run down, slumped shoulders with a cane and sunken eyes. He pivoted and marched down Main Street headed toward the Kelley place.
“Guess you didn’t think to look up your old man,” he hollered from behind.
Rex paused mid-step then turned to face his father. Cars passed, and he felt the eyes of the town on him. There wouldn’t be a show today. “I’m here on business. I don’t plan on staying long.”
His father eyed the store. “She was good for you. A good girl with a bad boy, what a town cliché. But she turned you around, calmed your Snyder temper and got you straight.”
“What are you talking about?” Rex asked, even though he wanted to end the conversation before it started.
“At fifteen you were heading down the same path as your old man. I give Ally credit for saving you from yourself. And from me. I can see that now that I’m sober.”
Rex blew out a half-laugh, half-snarl. How many times had his father said he would stop drinking? Enough that his mother gave him a few days after Rex left for the Marines. He guessed she’d only stayed so long because she wanted to protect him. “If you say so.” He resumed his original path toward the Kelley mansion. The faster he took care of things, the faster he’d escape the torture of being near Ally Roberts and knowing she hated him. But she’d made her choice. He might have left, but she never responded to his letter. The blame wasn’t entirely on him. It didn’t matter. It was time to move on. He’d wasted too many years comparing every woman he dated to the one he lost. It wasn’t fair to them or him.
“I know how you can get her back,” his father hollered.
Rex halted mid-step. The hook dangling within reach on a long line of empty promises and bad scams. He’d been snagged one too many times on his father’s words, and he had the scars to prove it. Without a word, Rex continued toward the end of the street.
Tap. Swish. Thump. Tap. Swish. Thump.
Too bad his father didn’t have the cane when Rex was growing up, then he could have heard him coming and avoided him better.
“I might not keep up, but I’ll catch you eventually. I already know where you’re going.”
Rex whirled on him. “Stay away. I’m not interested in making a buck. I have money now. No need to swindle or cheat anymore.”
His father’s mouth twisted with tight lines of anger, but then his lips went slack. “You have a right to think that. But I am tellin’ you the truth. I know somethin’, and if you want to know how to get Ally Roberts back, you come see me.”
He listened to the tap, swish, thump of his father’s retreat. Rex opened his mouth, closed it, opened it, and closed it once more. He’d be insane to believe anything that man told him. Besides, he needed to stick to the plan. Do his friend this favor, and make a quick exit. No need to start a small-town war.
Chapter Three
The night had drawled out like a bad French B movie. Despite all the tossing and turning throughout the night, Ally managed to rise early and set out for a run before the sun even appeared. For once, she was up early enough to spot Bri on her run. Not to mention the occasional spotting of Mr. Anxiety in his loud jester costume leaping out to scare her. By seven, Ally had run an extra two miles, showered, fixed her morning post workout shake and drove into town. After two sips, her stomach revolted, and she had to abandon her normal kale, almond butter, and banana shake. It was the highlight of her morning, but it didn’t sit well. Nothing sat well on her stomach or her mind since Rex Snyder appeared.
Her phone buzzed for the tenth time, but she ignored it, knowing it was Mel offering to go in her place today. That wasn’t an option, Mel’s expertise was marketing and running the store, Ally was the antiques expert. And they needed the Kelly estate if their business had a chance to survive.
She got out of her car and decided to walk to the Kelley house from the shop. Movement seemed to help her anxiety and nervousness. After ignoring Bekah’s calls all night, she was sure family lunch this week would be entertaining. Not.
The long trek up the hill made her thighs sting with over work, reminding her of her extra morning distance. She welcomed the feeling, anything to distract her from the reality she was about to be seeing Rex again.
She made it to the long driveway and walked up to the front porch with Mega Fear, his oversized black eyes and insect like body, at her heels. The two-story, light brick with fading white trim owned this side of town with its mass and beauty. A home she used to dream of living in some day, but she never thought it would be available. The Kelley family had lived there for generations, but with the death of both of David’s parents, and no other living relatives, it would go up for sale.
Movement on the front porch caught her attention. Rex sat in a wicker chair with a laptop on his knees and a coffee in hand. He set the laptop aside and waited for her at the top of the steps. “I know you didn’t want me here, but you’ll understand why when you get inside.”
She quirked a brow at him. “It’s your friend’s place. You and David were close. I get it if you want to supervise.” She held her bag to her chest as if it was a protective shield against Rex’s pull.
“Not that. Listen, do you want coffee first? I have some over here.”
“I think we should get started.” She brushed past him, trying not to touch him after the electric charge she suffered yesterday at a mere shake of a hand. At the threshold, she smelled mold and dirt and old person odor. She hesitated. Not a good aroma for a home full of antiques. She stepped into the main hall. The once grand entrance now looked like Obnoxious Anxiety had shredded the ornate wall paper during one of his fits. Not to mention the dingy, cracked molding. The floors were worn and many boards busted as if kids had been partying in the home for years. “What happened?”
“Don’t know. I thought his grandmother lived here until she passed.” Rex nudged by her, his proximity too close for comfort. She side-stepped and let him through. Based on his pressed lips, he’d noticed her attempt at avoiding contact.
“She did. She even had a nurse that came in daily to check on her. I don’t understand how we didn’t know. The outside looks run down, but not like this.”
“I guess small towns don’t know everything about everyone.” Rex picked up a small area rug and dust plumed. He coughed and dropped it to the ground, waving his hands in front of him.
Ally wandered into the parlor and eyed the dusty, dirty antique chairs and desk, the mold on the roof in the corner, and the water damage on the floor.
“I’m not sure you can liquidate any of this junk.”
Ally touched the once fine fabric and saw its beauty. It was hidden under the grime, but it was there. “It isn’t junk. It’s antiques. Sometimes old things are worth bringing back to life.”
Rex moved to her back. Close, so close she could feel his body heat. “I agree. Sometimes they are.”
No. He couldn’t do this to her. She needed to focus, to work hard and not be distracted by the one man who could change her life with only three words. Not this time. She wouldn’t alter her plans to please a man, just to have him disappear. She should’ve stayed in Europe and finished her term there, not abandon all her hard work to be with a man who didn’t want her. “Stop.”
He backed away. “This is a bad idea. I’ll call someone to hall this junk away, and I’ll work on getting a contractor out here to fix this place up to sell. I’m supposed to have a Skype chat with David in a couple hours. I’ll let him know the news.”
She felt the whirling of his words, twisting the threat around her until it would suck her into the drain of failure. “No. I’ll handle this. It’s what David wanted.”
“I’ll make him see reason. We can’t even be in the same room without it tort
uring us both. Maybe if we talked, but you don’t want that and I’m not sure it would do any good.”
She couldn’t let this opportunity go. He was right, though. How could they work together with their past threatening to knock down the last of the support beams of this agreement? “Fine. You want to talk. Let’s talk.” She faced him, fire licking up her insides with eight years of hatred and sorrow burning to life.
Rex stepped back, like he was already regretting bringing up the conversation. “You don’t have to.”
“If it is the only way you’ll agree to work with me on this, then I have no choice. I hope you’re ready for this. Once this conversation is over, we move on. We work together. You help your friend, and I help mine.”
Harold the Hate monster cheered from the entry. His bright red pom-poms waving from his stumpy arms.
Rex nodded. “Okay.” He took a deep breath, his hand raked through his hair the way it always did when he was stressed, about to face something he didn’t want to, but knew he had to. Usually, when he had to go to a family dinner with Ally, or face her father at some family gathering.
“Fine. You promised you’d be here when I returned from Paris, but you weren’t. You left and never returned.” The words flowed from her mouth like hot lava erupting, she only hoped when she was done the pressure in her chest would go away.
Harold did one-two-punch in the air.
“I wasn’t the only one who left,” Rex mumbled.
“You told me to go. I didn’t want to go to Paris. It was the way my father had of controlling me one last time. I went because you made me believe that it would show him that I could love you and still go to college, even if you weren’t.”
“I’m not talking about Paris. You left us.” Rex’s voice cracked.
Ally shook her head and forced the lump in her throat to submit to her will not to cry. “No. You ran off and joined the Marines. You didn’t wait for me to come home. You just disappeared.”
Harold did some sort of awkward cheer jump that made him look like a mad moose.
“I didn’t have a choice. I signed a contract, I had to leave. You were going to college, and your father was right, I’d only make you miserable if I stayed and worked some dead-end job. You’d outgrow me by the end of your freshman year.”
“What? When did my father say that? Why would you listen?” Ally paced the room, trying to keep her emotions from taking hold and losing control. She wanted to punch Harold dancing like a maniac with his pom-poms.
“You know he was right. My mother and father married when they were eighteen. They hated each other their entire marriage. My mother only stayed because of me. I couldn’t put you through that. You deserved better. I went to make a better life for us. To prove myself worthy of you.”
“No. We talked about this. We weren’t your parents, and we weren’t my parents. We were us, and you threw us away.”
“You didn’t wait for me.”
“Wait? For how long? Eight years for you to decide to return and grace me with your presence? No thanks.” She huffed, hands on hips, chin thrust up. Her body tense from eight years of hidden hatred.
“You didn’t even write me.” Rex’s brow furrowed, his cheeks tightened. “You forgot about me the minute I left.”
“How could I write you? I didn’t know where you went.”
Harold did a back flip.
Rex paced this time. “You had my letter. The one you never answered.”
Ally’s knees went weak, she collapsed into the chair behind her. “I didn’t get a letter. I never got a letter or a phone call or a post card from you.”
Harold didn’t land his next flip and face-planted. He’d be out for a while.
“I don’t understand. I sent one to Paris and left one with your mother.” Rex squatted in front of her, capturing her gaze. “Are you telling me she never gave it to you?”
The lump expanded and tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. “How could she?”
He dropped his head and fisted his hands. “I always thought she was on our side.”
Ally searched her memories. Her mother helped her sneak out to see Rex, lying about seeing friends instead, giving her cash to pay for a dress for prom when her dad was trying to break them up. It didn’t make sense. “So did I.”
The room was stifling with the warm temperature and old house smell. She thought about her time in Paris and couldn’t believe that if he really wanted to let her know where he’d went, he would have found a way. “Why didn’t you call?”
“I did. I left two messages in Paris with your roommate.”
“When?”
He rose and paced the floor again. “When I found out I had to leave. It was in June. The second week, I think.”
Ally rubbed her temples, fighting the mountainous headache that threatened. “I’d left to come home. That’s when I decided I was done with the program. I didn’t care what my parents said. I didn’t care about Paris. I only…” She couldn’t say it out loud. She felt like a fool that she’d chosen to return for him instead of living the summer in Paris, only to find out he’d left.
Rex punched the wall, bits of dust rained down on him, turning his brown hair white. He sulked out of the room, leaving her alone in the parlor with nothing but her memories and information that her parents had caused her epic heartache. The kind that made you never trust a man again.
Chapter Four
Rex collapsed into the wicker chair on the front porch, gasping for air. His lungs constricted by the fact he’d left and never returned because he thought Ally didn’t want him. That she’d moved on just like her father had said she would. For about twenty minutes he sat alone, pondering all the scenarios that lead to this moment. He’d not felt this out of control, in years.
The smell of fuchsia, the same perfume Ally had worn when they were teenagers, told him she stood nearby before he ever looked up. “I’m sorry.”
She walked to the chair next to him and sank into it. “I’m not sure why you’re apologizing.”
“If I scared you.” He fisted his hands, eyeing the cuts and red marks on his knuckles. “It’s been a long time since I lost my temper like that. I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“You could never scare me,” she said, her voice soft, reassuring.
He took three deep breaths. “Still, I shouldn’t have punched the wall.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” She rose and disappeared through the door, leaving him to his thoughts. His thoughts of all he’d done wrong that summer eight years ago. He should’ve waited for her to return to Silver Springs before he’d signed the enlistment papers, but David begged him to leave after whatever happened between him and Mel. Several minutes passed, before she returned to the front porch. She placed a makeshift icepack on his knuckles wrapped in paper towels.
She held it there with a tender touch. “You have every right to be upset. We both do.”
“How?” Rex asked.
She quirked a brow at him. “How what?”
“How can you be so calm? You were always so calm, sweet…perfect.”
She shook her head. “I’m enraged. I just keep it inside. I let it eat away at me. The way I’ve let my anger at you eat me up for so long.”
He bowed his head in shame. “I should’ve…I…”
She sunk back into her own chair, putting distance between them. “I don’t know how I feel, but it sounds like we both have suffered. In one breath I still want to hate you, because that would make things easier. The next breath I want to hate my parents. And in another, I want to hate myself.”
“I know what you mean.” He held the ice to his knuckles, not knowing what else to do.
“Listen, we’re both victims in all this. I see that now.”
He managed to glance over at Ally and caught a glimpse of the tears streaming down her face. A sight he could never bare. He rose from his chair and knelt in front of her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded
and swiped the tears from her eyes. “I don’t know what to say, what to do.”
“I don’t either.” He sat back on his heels and looked up at her perfect face. It still took his breath away. “What do you want me to do? Do you want me to stay out of your way while you work on liquidating this estate? Do you want my help? Do you want me to tell David tonight that I’m not his man?” He hated himself for saying the words out loud. How could he let the man down, but how could he face the look in Ally’s eyes for another second, let alone days?
“I don’t know what I want,” she whispered. “I’ll take that cup of coffee now, though,” she chuckled.
He went inside and retrieved a cup, poured some coffee, and returned to the front porch. His mind drifted from the summer so long ago, to the nightmares of war, and back to the woman sitting on the front porch. He handed her the cup and sat in his seat. “I guess we both need a breath here.”
“I think we both need a lifetime,” Alley whispered.
At the same time, he longed to hold Alley and to walk away and never see her again. He liked black and white, military orders, and organization. Not grey areas. Grey was always so…murky.
“How long are you in town for?” Ally asked. That chin returned to the air, lifting to new heights.
“A few weeks. Why?” He braced himself for her answer. Would she want to get to know him again, or was she hoping he’d leave quickly?
She rose and brushed off the back of her pants from the dirt on the chair, but didn’t look at him. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning to start working on cleaning and assessing the furniture.”
He shot up. There were lose boards upstairs, and so much work she’d be sick from the dust and dirt and grime by the time she finished. “But you’ve only seen the entry way and parlor. There’s furniture in the entire house. You have no idea how much work that’ll be. Do you want me to call a cleaning service?”