by Tonya Kappes
“Can we go now, Uncle Cole?” Dalton, tapped on Cole’s leg.
“Okay, buddy.” Cole picked him up. “Where’s your coat?”
Dalton jumped out of his arms and ran off to get it.
“That’s Amy’s son. We’re going on a sleigh ride to a special place.” His eyes spoke to her soul. “I’d love for you to see it.”
“I…” Liz still had a while before she had to pick up Hayes from Jack’s house, but she didn’t want to intrude.
“We’d love for you to join us.” Amy gently touched Liz’s arm.
“Yes, I’d love to.” She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay—forever.
Everyone put on their coats, and one by one, Cole helped them up into the sleigh.
“You can sit with me.” He patted the small leather seat that was a little higher than the seats where everyone else sat.
“Oh, the driver’s seat.” Her eyes danced at the thought of being close to him.
He placed his hands around her waist and hoisted her up, giving a little squeeze just before letting go. She felt wrapped in an invisible warmth.
He pulled himself up and sat next to her. He pulled out a Navajo blanket and laid it over their legs. He took hold of the reigns, clicked his tongue, and off they went.
Liz hadn’t seen any of his property other than the house and clinic. Using the cold air as an excuse, she snuggled up close to Cole and joined in on the Christmas carols Dalton had started.
They passed by a wooden dock on a small lake. Tied to the dock was a motor-boat, a canoe, and a paddle boat. Just beyond the dock sat a small, rustic cabin. It was decorated in the same fashion as Cole’s house.
“We’re here.” Cole pulled on the reigns to stop the sleigh in front of the cabin. Everyone jumped out, and Cole helped Liz off.
Silently, they all filed into the small one-room structure. Inside, there was a family portrait of Cole and his family. Standing next to Cole was a beautiful woman with black hair and an exuberant smile.
Sarah.
Amy kissed the tip of her fingers, and touched Sarah’s face.
“I know this probably seems strange to you.” Amy glanced at Cole. He nodded for her to continue. “Sarah loved to come to the lake and read. Cole built her this cabin so she could be here during the day while he was working. We scattered her ashes over the lake because she loved this place so much.”
Amy stopped. Tears were flowing down her cheeks.
“Christmas was her favorite time of the year. Last year, we couldn’t face Christmas, but we promised each other that no matter where our lives took us, we would always meet here for Sarah.” Cole finished what Amy couldn’t.
“I shouldn’t be here.” Liz felt like she was intruding.
“Yes.” Amy nodded. “Sarah would have wanted Cole to find someone like you if she was gone.”
Cole took out a bottle of champagne and flukes. They toasted to Sarah and sat in a few minutes of silence. One by one, they filed out of the cabin.
Cole held Liz back as the others left.
The mere touch of his hand sent warm shivers throughout her body.
“You have no idea how much it means to me that you came here tonight.” His large hands took her face and held it gently. “I love you, Liz.”
She quivered at the sweet tenderness of his kiss.
His eyes made love to her right then and there.
“Come on, you two.” Dalton tugged on the corner of Cole’s jacket.
“Okay, buddy.” Cole bent down and hoisted Dalton on one shoulder after kissing Liz one last time.
Blood was pounding in her head, her heart was trying to leap from her chest, and she felt weak at the knees.
“Are you okay?” He took her by the hand to lead her out the door.
“Perfect.” She whispered.
But his story still haunted the back of her mind.
They rode back in silence, his hand moving up and down her thigh increasing her desire for him.
She wanted the ride to last, but it was over too soon. She knew it was time to pick up Hayes.
“I have to go. Hayes is waiting.” Liz wanted so desperately to get Hayes and come back. But she knew she still didn’t have the answers she needed.
“Thank you for coming.” Cole stood facing her on the porch. “I know you came here for answers and you are leaving even more confused. I will answer all your questions when you are ready.”
Liz shook her head yes. “They truly are amazing.” She bit her lip, fighting back tears.
“I love you Liz,” was all she could focus on.
She hurried to her car to escape the cold air.
“Liz?” Amy yelled, stopping her. “Can I have a word with you?”
“Yes, get in the car. It’s cold out here.” Liz turned the heat up as far as it would go. Amy got into the passenger seat.
“I am sure that you find our situation a little strange, with the accident and all. Cole is a good man. He was a great husband. You should know that.” Amy wiped a tear from her cheek.
“I am confused. Can I ask you a question?” Liz was hoping she could get some answers from Amy.”
“Of course.”
“How could you forgive the man that killed your sister? How could you welcome him into your family so soon after he gets out of prison?”
“Liz you are mistaken. He didn’t kill anyone.” Amy said.
“What are you talking about? He was driving the car.”
“Liz, he didn’t tell you? Is that why you too aren’t together?”
“He hit my best friend’s husband. He never told me what happened. He knows that Jenna is my best friend. He kept the secret from me.” Liz’s voice accelerated. She was becoming all confused again and mad at herself for having let the romantic atmosphere get to her. “I’m in love with him and he didn’t tell me.”
“Do you think that he would be out of prison if he killed two people?”
“Jenna said that he got out early.”
“He did get out early. He wasn’t driving that morning. He was drinking a lot. Sarah did call Jenna to take Samantha to Hazel’s so Jenna could talk with Cole. Unfortunately, Sarah did find him at The Thirsty Turtle. She wanted an intervention with Jenna and Dan. Cole couldn’t stand up, much less drive. Sarah was driving.” Amy stared at Liz.
“What?” Liz whispered.
“Yes. Sarah was driving the car.” Amy confirmed what she said. “By the time the cops got there, Cole had dragged Sarah out of the car and was trying to resuscitate her. The cops smelled the alcohol on his breath and assumed it was his fault. He was so distraught by Sarah’s death, he told the cops that he was driving.”
“How can he prove he wasn’t driving? You believe him?”
“Yes I believe him. When they investigated the car, Sarah’s shoe was on the driver’s side by the gas pedal. And the distance between the seat and the pedals was too short for Cole. It was the exact length of Sarah’s legs.”
Liz buried her head in her hands. This was so much more than she could’ve imagined.
“Cole didn’t want to live without Sarah. He wanted the death penalty. He lost his wife and his best friend. He didn’t want to live without them. Even if the accident would’ve happened without him, he would’ve still wanted to die.”
Liz was having a hard time understanding the legality of the situation. “Why doesn’t Jenna know all of this?”
“I don’t know. The lawyers called her several times. They left message after message on her answering machine. We were surprised when she didn’t show up for the appeal.”
Liz had a lot to think about. She had to research all that she had heard. If she was going to tell Jenna, then she better have good evidence.
“Listen, Liz, I just wanted to let you know that we love Sarah. We miss her, but we also love Cole. He did drink too much, but he always treated Sarah wonderfully. He is part of our family.” Amy played with her gloves. “When I saw him today, I could tell that he was in love ag
ain. There was a light in his eye that hasn’t been there. The same light I’ve seen before. It was fate that we met tonight.”
Amy got out of the car. Before she shut the door, she bent down.
“Liz, I know what I said was hard for you to understand since you have been under a different impression of Cole. If you want to research it, you will find that everything I’m saying is true. I can give you the number of our lawyer. He will explain everything.”
Liz handed Amy a scrap of paper from her glove box and pen. Amy scribbled the name and number down before handing them back to Liz.
The Christmas cheer, the smells, the sites, the sleigh ride, the kiss and I love you were all jumbled up in her mind. Helping her forget about the reality of the situation.
With Hayes in the car, Liz put the night in the back of her head. Her heart was a little warmer than it had been over the past week. She slept better that night than she had all week long.
SEVENTEEN
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.”
~Bryant McGill
All week long, Liz played with the piece of paper Amy had given her. Several times She picked up the phone and dialed, only to push the end button.
This time she was going to make the call. This time she wanted the answers.
No time like the present.
She punched the numbers in and waited for the ring tone.
“Hello?” Liz heard some noise, but no one said hello.
“Hey, stranger.” Jenna was on the other end. “Who were you calling?”
“What?” Liz looked at the number again.
“I called and you picked up the phone and started dialing. Weird, huh?”
Yeah, weird, Liz thought. Or was it fate?
“The benefit is tomorrow. Everything looks good. The decorating committee really outdid themselves this year.” Jenna sounded excited. “Are you ready to get into that gorgeous ball gown?”
“I can hardly contain myself.” Liz definitely wasn’t ready to spend another New Years alone, especially when she had a willing man patiently waiting on her.
“I wanted to touch base and make sure that you were going to be there early.” Jenna was good at giving commands.
Liz decided that once the New Year started, she was going to start a new life. She was going to get the answers about Cole and tell Jenna the truth. Until then, she would put on a smile and be one of the best hostesses she could be.
Until tomorrow, she was going to keep herself busy finishing up paperwork for the New Year and hanging out with Kristen.
Kristen had volunteered to help out with the benefit, which was really just so she could spend time with Liz. Liz knew that her sister wanted to be there for her. And it comforted her, even though she wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Jenna all she had learned about Cole and the accident.
EIGHTEEN
“To understand everything is to forgive everything.”
~Buddha
Liz spent the morning of the benefit getting her hair done, and getting a manicure and pedicure.
Trying the dress on one more time after she was all dolled up gave her the confidence she needed to get through the night. After all, starting tomorrow, she was going to build her new life.
She had a little more giddy-up in her go since learning that Cole hadn’t been driving the car that fateful morning. He really did pull Sarah out to save her, but he couldn’t.
“Wow, you look great.” Kristen peeked her head into Liz’s room.
Liz really did feel good. And it was showing.
“So?” Kristen sat on the edge of Liz’s bed waiting to hear all the details of Christmas night.
Liz recalled how unbelievable everything was and all the events that took place. She even began to tear up while talking about the memorial for Sarah by the lake. She loved Cole, and knew he was going to be in her life—somehow. She only prayed she was everything Sarah would want for him, just like Amy said.
“What?” Liz was questioning the look on Kristen’s face.
“You are glowing. You mention his name and you’re like a light bulb,.” Kristen said.
“He does make me happy. I vowed to make a new life for myself this coming year. I am going to get this all figured out tomorrow and tell Jenna everything all that I’ve learned.”
“I need to finish getting ready.” Kristen hugged Liz.
The benefit was sold out. Everyone came up to Liz and Jenna telling them what a great duo they were. When it came to the silent auction, the bids were soaring. This year was going to raise more money than last year. All their planning and hard work had been worth it.
“Looks like we do make a good team.” Jenna held a glass of diet coke up to toast Liz. “Best friend?”
“Best friend.” Liz toasted her back.
Regardless of how Jenna was going to take the news about Cole, Jenna was her best friend no matter what. She just hoped she was going to stay Jenna’s best friend.
“Your sister is doing a great job.” Jenna pointed to Kristen.
She did look cute in her bow tie and casino outfit. She was chatting with all the gamblers sitting around her table and dealing out cards like she really knew what she was doing.
“Everyone is enjoying themselves.” Liz commented, seeing a smile on every face.
Her thoughts trailed to Cole. She wondered if he was sitting alone watching New Year’s Rocking Eve with Ryan Seacrest or already in bed.
He had promised to give her distance until she figured out how to tell Jenna, and he had honored that.
“Are you almost ready for the big countdown?” Jenna interrupted Liz’s thoughts.
She looked at her watch.
“I am. Only fifteen more minutes until my new life begins.” Liz smiled
“New life?”
“I vowed to make this year the first year of the rest of my new life. I have lived here over a year and just breezed through it. Now I’m going to start living my life.” Liz nodded.
“What is he doing here?” Jenna pointed to the gentleman in the grey suit.
Liz recognized Bill Canfield, one of the only lawyers in town. He was Cole’s lawyer, and she recently talked to him on the phone.
He had confirmed that the courts and state had tried to get in touch with Jenna by leaving several messages on her answering machine, but they didn’t know her answering machine didn’t work half the time
“Maybe he bought a ticket.” Liz said.
“That’s Cole’s lawyer.” Jenna’s eyes narrowed.
Liz was well aware who he was and vowed not to tell Jenna everything until the New Year. She had fifteen more minutes to wait.
“How can I help you?” Jenna asked Bill.
“I have an anonymous donation of $10,000 to present to MADD.” He handed Jenna a check and walked away.
Jenna showed Liz the check with her mouth wide open. They stood there unable to move.
Intuitively, Liz knew the check was from Cole, but couldn’t say anything or prove it.
“Liz? Liz?” Kristen screamed across the loud room and pointing to her watch. It was time for Liz to take her post on the stage for the countdown.
She grabbed the check out of Jenna’s hand. She was going to make the big announcement before the countdown about the donation.
“Can I have your attention please?” Liz felt good about the way she looked. She was confident and ready to lead the countdown she had been dreading.
“I would like to make a wonderful announcement before we start the New Year.”
The room didn’t take long to quiet down. She noticed that Jenna had stopped Bill in the back of the room. Bill was telling Jenna something, but Liz couldn’t make out what they were saying. Jenna’s shoulders bobbed up and down.
Jenna was going to have to wait, the countdown to the New Year was surely not going to wait.
“I wanted to announce that MADD has received an anonymous donation of $10,000 tonight!” Liz
yelled into the microphone.
The room exploded in cheers
Jenna walked back toward the stage, being stopped occasionally by partygoers patting her on the back. Everyone wanted to know who the big anonymous donor was. Jenna was wiping the tears from her eyes. She was grinning from ear to ear.
“Let’s start this New Year!” Jenna yelled to the crowd as she joined Liz on stage.
“Ready, best friend?” Jenna asked Liz.
“Ready.” Liz took the microphone. “10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Liz felt arms wrap around her waist. She turned around. Cole was holding her. Jenna stood next to them smiling.
“That darn answering machine. It only records half the messages I get. I am going to buy a new one first thing tomorrow.”
“Happy New Year, baby.” Cole’s kiss rang through her veins.
Over his shoulder, Jenna was smiling.
Jenna mouthed, “I’m sorry. Bill told me everything.” She gave Cole a hug.
“I am so sorry, Jenna.” Cole was sincere. “I wanted to die. I would never drive drunk. I would never want to kill my wife or Dan. Every day I live with the guilt that my drinking caused it. I hope you can forgive me. I love you like a sister Jenna.”
Jenna shook her head while her tears swelled up on the edge of her eyelids.
“I didn’t care what happened to me. I wanted the death penalty.” His voice cracked. “I didn’t know that you were unaware of the findings. I was shocked by your reaction at the coffee house. Then Liz came into my life.” He turned to Liz. “The last thing I was planning on was falling in love again.”
“I accept your apology. I know you are a good man. You will make a good match for my best friend.” Jenna hugged Liz.
“Let’s go start our new life.” Cole whispered into Liz’s ear.
Walking out of the benefit, hand in hand, Liz noticed Kristen staring at them. Kristen gave her a nod of approval. Liz knew that she would catch up with Kristen tomorrow.
She was changing her life.
She was starting a new life.