His next call wasn’t going to be as easy. He dialed and waited. “Mom, I’m leaving for Alaska today. I know I’d planned to wait till the house was ready, but I can’t wait any longer.”
“Oh, Will, it’s about time. You go get her and bring her home to us, do you hear? It broke my heart when you married Reca instead of Nicole.”
“I know, Mom. I know.” It had broken his heart as well.
“I know you think you have everything planned out, but that girl is going to be holding on to a lot of hurt and betrayal. You may be in for the fight of your life.”
“Oh, I know, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. You’re forgetting one very important thing. I know Nic better than anyone. I know her weaknesses, and I plan to play on every single one of them.” He also wasn’t above playing dirty either to get what he wanted. And he wanted what he should have had five years ago, his girl, Nic.
“You let her know how bad we felt about keeping it from her the way we did.”
“I will. There’s not been a day that’s gone by I haven’t grieved for what we lost.” At the time he thought he didn’t have any other options. He hadn’t been thinking clearly and had handled the entire situation badly.
“But you knew what was happening. Nicole had no idea what made you abandon her the way you did. You should have told her, Will. You could have been dead for all she knew. The day she chopped down the hedge and that old treehouse you used to play in was the saddest sight.”
Will knew his mom was near tears and he wanted to end the conversation before she started. He had heard the story and had seen the destruction Nicole had unleashed in the backyard and the memories of what she must felt haunted him. He only hoped his chances of resurrecting her love weren’t as hopeless as rebuilding their old tree house had been. She’d not left one plank or post of wood whole.
***
Will’s plane landed on the small air strip. He picked up the truck he’d rented and headed into the town that Nic had escaped to when he’d made her life a living hell. The little town had offered her comfort and a home when he had been unable to.
Main street was little more than the necessities. A grocery store, a diner, a barber shop, a hardware store, and a clothing store. At the end of the street, a beautiful new town library sat beside the police station and town hall. Turning onto Stinson Street, the school house and gym were the last things he saw before a whole lot of nothingness. The house he’d rented near Nic’s place was supposed to be about twenty miles from town. He didn’t like the thought of Nicole driving alone at night or the fact that she lived so far out.
He’d lost the right to have any say in anything Nic did.
Will slowed, as he came to a few dozen houses and looked for cabin number sixty-two. He was glad to see that Nic had neighbors. Locating his rental at the end of the row, he pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. Perfect. Cabin sixty-two sat immediately to the left of cabin sixty. Nic’s cabin. It was important to be close to her, but he still needed to remain in hiding. A few things had to fall into place before he revealed himself. If his plan worked, she wouldn’t have any options but to hear him out.
After inspecting the cabin Will thought it would do quite nicely until his house was finished. By then, he hoped Nic would be living with him, and they would marry soon after.
The investigator he’d hired to keep tabs on Nic reported she had lots of friends in town. Will knew what friends meant to Nic. She wouldn’t want to simply leave her friends and the life she had built in Alaska completely. But he couldn’t be away from his offices all the time. With the house he was having built, they could spend a few months a year in Alaska. Bringing the kids for Christmas would be fun. His and Nic’s kids. The two kids they had always planned on having. Nic had a good mother’s heart, a kind heart, a heart that had always belonged to him. A heart he counted on to forgive him.
Will unpacked the truck and decided a trip to the grocery store was first on his list. His stomach chose that moment to argue. He guessed stopping at the diner he saw in town would be a better plan.
He grabbed his keys, jumped in his truck, and made the twenty-mile return trip to town.
The bell over the diner’s door jingled as he pushed it open. The hum of conversation stopped and every head in the place swiveled towards him. A woman behind the counter with fire engine red hair piled on top of her head told him to take a seat anywhere.
He slid into the first booth he came to, picked up the plastic menu wedged between the sugar and catsup bottle and felt every eyeball in the room, boring into him.
“What’ll it be, mister?” Asked the waitress with fiery hair.
“Cheeseburger with fries please, and could I get a chocolate shake?” He smiled at the woman and wondered why she didn’t seem very friendly. It had been his experience that small town people were welcoming.
“Coming right up. You just passing through?” She wrote his order down on the pad she’d pulled from her apron pocket.
“No, I’m renting a cabin for a while.” Will didn’t want to give out too much information. Small towns were also notorious for spreading any and all news. He didn’t want his arrival to get back to Nic before he was ready.
She finished his order and stuck the pencil through the bundle of hair on top of her head. “Are you a suit from the logging company headquarters?”
“No.” Will looked up at the lady when she didn’t move. They sparred with their eyes before she ripped off his order from her pad and left. He watched as she stuck the paper under a clip on a wheel above where he assumed the food was delivered.
“You’re not a scout for one of them television shows are you?” an older man, with snowy white, slicked-back hair, leaned over and asked from the next booth.
“No, I’m not from a television show.”
The man didn’t turn back around in his seat. “Most folk don’t come to Dirty Ankle just for the heck of it.”
The waitress returned with his food, and Will was glad because he had no answer. Instead he dug into his burger and fries, and eventually the man from the next booth resumed talking to his dinner guests.
The lady came back with a pot in her hands as Will finished his last fry. “Can I get you a coffee?”
“No thanks…” Will looked for a nametag but didn’t see one on her shirt front.
“Babs. Everybody around here calls me Babs.” She gave him the once over and handed him his bill.
“Thanks, Babs. The burger was really good.” He was shocked; his entire meal cost only five dollars and fifty-seven cents. He took his wallet out and threw a twenty on the table.
“Glad you liked it. Don’t let Sal bother you none. We’re just not used to seeing strangers around here. Small town, ya know. Everybody has to know everybody’s business. It’s just the way we are.”
“Sure, no problem. I’m here for a visit, that’s all.” Will tried to stand but Babs wouldn’t move out of his way.
“Maybe you’re here to visit someone special? Maybe someone that got away?” Her eyebrow rose in question as she stared him down.
Will looked closely at Babs. She knew. He had no idea how she had put the pieces together, but she knew he was here for Nic. “Do you know Nic?”
Babs laughed. “The last man that called her that left with a broken nose. She goes by Sugar now.”
“Sugar?” Will didn’t understand what Babs was talking about. How could they get the name Sugar from Nicole?
“Yeah, you know after the boxer, Sugar Ray.”
Will sat with his mouth open. “She hit somebody?” He refused to believe his Nic would hit anyone.
“She sure did, dislocated her thumb too. Little thing didn’t know not to tuck it inside her fist. See, she told everybody to call her Nicole. Denny Calbert was sitting right over there at the counter and called her Nic one time too many. She got spittin’ mad and hauled off and let him have it. From that day on, she earned the name Sugar. I doubt fol
ks even remember her name’s Nicole.”
Will shook his head. No, there was just no way that could be his Nic. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same person.”
Babs smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “I believe we are, son. I believe we are. Now, are you going to do right by her this time?”
Will dipped his head and asked quietly, “What has she told you about me?” He didn’t want the nosey men from the next table in on the conversation,
“Sugar hasn’t told me a dang thing. Sometimes you don’t need words to know a person’s hurting real bad. And nine times out of ten, it’s because of a man. She was a pitiful thing when she first rolled into town.”
“How did you know? I mean, how did you know it was me?”
“Well, I reckon I’ve only seen one other person around here eat fries that way, by dunking them in a chocolate shake.” Her eyes sparkled with laughter.
Will smiled. It would appear Nic hadn’t totally erased him from her memory. He was the one who’d taught her the delicacy of a good salty fry dripping with chocolate shake.
“I love her, Babs. I always have, but I hurt her real bad. What I did was wrong and I’m here to try and make things right. I know Nic, and she’s not going to forgive me easily, but she will eventually because we are both part of a whole. I can’t survive without her any longer. I’m not leaving here without her.” His first battle would be to convince her to give him a chance to explain. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He had his work cut out for him. Nic could be…challenging at times.
Babs stared him down and finally nodded. “I reckon you’ve got a fight on your hands with that one.” She laughed and slapped him on the back.
“Will you help me, Babs?” he asked hopefully.
“Well now,” Babs plopped down in the booth, “what do you have in mind?”
CHAPTER NINE
Nicole lay in bed staring at her bedside clock. The alarm was set to go off in another hour. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something felt off, and that made her uneasy and unable to sleep. The early morning light filtered in through the sheer curtain of her bedroom window. She pulled the down comforter up higher and snuggled deeper into the warm covers and waited, but she had no idea what for.
The last time she’d had this feeling, a bear had been going through her trash. That had been right after she moved to town. She had been unfamiliar with the concept of locking down trashcans in the outbuilding by the road. That had been a very quick and well-learned lesson. Her trashcans, she knew for a fact, were bear-proof now, so that couldn’t be what was making her feel on edge.
She rolled over, hugged a pillow to her chest, and drifted into a restless dreamed...
She smiled into her grandfather’s eyes as they turned the corner of the church vestibule. Her hand went to smooth the fabric of her white dress Mrs. Fortenberry had made for her.
Linda was there. She smiled at her with tears in her eyes before handing her a bouquet of daisies with baby’s breath. Nicole took the flowers and raised their feathery soft petals to her cheek, and smiled. Perfect. They were exactly what she wanted—happy and cheerful flowers for her special day.
Music began to play and Linda waved to her before she walked through the sanctuary door. Nicole tilted her head, puzzled because she was unable to hear her grandfather’s words. In slow motion her grandfather took her hand, wrapped it around his arm, and they walked towards the door.
Nicole and her grandfather entered the sanctuary of the church and saw the faces of everyone in town as they stood. At her grandfather’s prompting, they began to walk down the aisle. She nodded at the mayor and his wife. She smiled at Mrs. Hawkins, the florist, and mouthed the words “thank you” before they passed her by.
Nicole stopped at the front row and kissed her grandmother on the cheek, and then handed Will’s mom and dad a daisy from her bouquet. She smiled at them before returning to her grandfather’s side.
Will waited for her. She needed to get to him quickly, but her grandfather wouldn’t move any faster. Finally, they were at the end of the aisle, and there was Will looking so handsome in his charcoal grey tuxedo. His eyes sparkled with love and devotion for her. Nicole’s smile faltered as her eyes moved to the left. Standing beside Will with anger shooting from her eyes was the woman from the pictures. Nicole’s steps halted as her eyes moved further down. Three stair-step-sized children stood between Will and the woman. Each of the children had Will’s sandy brown hair and vivid blue eyes. Nicole looked back at Will’s parents who were each holding another child, and each one was an exact replica of Will.
Five. Will had five children, one for each year he had been gone. Nicole began to back up, shaking her head, but her grandfather held tightly to her hand and wouldn’t let go. “NO!” she tried to shout, but no sound came out. She had to get away. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Will was supposed to only love her. That woman had stolen her life, her love, and her happy-ever-after.
The woman began to laugh hysterically. Nicole stopped her attempts to pull away and looked back as the woman turned sideways, showing Nicole her belly filled to bursting with another of Will’s children.
Nicole’s eyes searched Will’s, looking for understanding, and instead found nothing within their depths. He was blank, gone, nothing in his place but a man resembling the man she loved. Will shrugged his shoulders, unconcerned, and bent to pick up one of the mini Wills pulling on his pants leg.
No! Nicole broke away from her grandfather and ran. She ran out of the church and down the steps and out into the street. The screech of breaks stopped her dead in her tracks; then she felt a burst of warm air just before…
Nicole woke with a start as the floor came rushing up to meet her. She lay stunned and disoriented as memories of her nightmare dissolved into lonely reality. Seeing Will again, even in a dream, caused all the old hurt and anger to bubble to the surface and choke the life from her soul. That dream she hadn’t had for a few years. What caused it? She thought back and couldn’t remember any triggers. Maybe that was why she couldn’t sleep. Her subconscious was thinking about Will. Missing him? She’d given up thoughts of Will years ago.
She sat up, pushed the hair from her face, and wiped the sleep from her eyes just as her alarm clock rang. “Figures,” she said, to no one in particular. She needed to get a move on and stop by the diner for breakfast. A strong cup of coffee would clear the cobwebs from her brain. She shuddered at the thought. She hated coffee. That was why she made herself drink it. Sugar drank coffee. Nicole drank tea.
It was a good thing the town had given her a new name because old Nicole was no more. She pulled on her jeans and stuffed her feet in her boots, buttoned her flannel shirt, and pulled on her parka before heading for the door. Her grandmother would be shocked at her attire these days.
Within thirty minutes she slammed her truck door, walked into the diner, and stumbled when she heard “that song.” Nicole had worked there for years and knew by heart every sound track Babs had. The song playing had never been one of them. She would have known because she would have deleted it in a hot second.
Nicole surveyed the room; for what, she didn’t know. The old timers were talking and eating, same as always. Babs took Mr. Mann’s order at table seven. Mr. Mann always ordered two eggs over easy with bacon and hash browns. It’s amazing what you remember when you feel your life spiraling out of control.
Cookie could be heard from the kitchen, clanging his pots and pans. Nothing was out of the ordinary, yet Nicole wanted to run from the diner and keep running until she passed out from exhaustion.
“Morning, Sugar! Will you have the usual?” Babs asked, as she finished writing up Mr. Mann’s order.
“That song, Babs…” Nicole tried to continue, but when the song got to a certain part, her hand reached for her heart and she began to tremble. Finally, she was able to ask, “Where did that song come from?”
“You like? I’ve always
loved that song. My Girl, that’s the name, right? By the Temptations, I believe.”
“Yeah.” Nicole’s heart skipped, hearing those two words. “That’s the name. Where did it come from?”
“Oh, the regulars complained we needed new music around here. I bought a couple of Golden Oldie tracks to add to our playlist to keep ‘um quiet. Now go on and take a seat. I’ll get you some coffee to start with.”
“No. No thanks, Babs. I have to go. I’ve got to get to work.” There was no way she could stay and listen to that song. Nicole walked back out the door and drove to the library. She had a headache the rest of the morning, either from the lack of a caffeine starter, no breakfast, or from lack of sleep. It really didn’t matter which one; she still felt like the dregs on the bottom of Babs’ coffee pot after sitting out overnight.
The next day, tired from another restless night, Nicole unlocked the library door, rubbed her eyes, and gasped. Sitting on the counter was a huge flower arrangement of daisies and baby’s breath.
“Good morning, Sugar,” Lisa said, from behind the counter. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Where…where did they come from?” Nicole couldn’t take her eyes off the flowers. Her flowers. The arrangement was exactly the one she had always wanted.
“I don’t know.”
Nicole stared at the card Lisa was holding out to her. “Sugar” was written on the front. Sugar, not Nicole, and certainly not Nic; that was good. Did she really think he would send her flowers? That was bazaar! He was living happily with his wife of five years and their kids. Nicole had no idea where they lived because no one had felt the need to enlighten her.
His abandonment wasn’t the only loss she felt. Losing his family also hurt. The day she had destroyed the hedge and treehouse, she saw his parents standing at the back window, watching but not coming out to stop her, comfort her, or to tell her where he was. She felt total betrayal that cut deep. It only proved to her that all their previous words and actions had been a total lie. Family sticks together, and they couldn’t have said it any louder. She wasn’t family. She had only been an interloping outsider.
You Promised Me Forever (The Dirty Ankle Series Book 1) Page 10