by Ann Everett
Her face pinched. “I’ve never cheated in a relationship. Two tries at marriage and struck out. Not interested in another turn at bat.”
“But your boyfriend was.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Like you said. I don’t miss much. He was sure good with Silbie.”
“Not meant to be.”
“You would have thought the same thing about Charlotte and me, but we were perfect together.”
His lips trembled when he spoke her name and Raynie thought he might cry, but instead he sipped then smiled with a faraway look. “Serendipity. That’s what it was.”
Raynie followed him to the sofa and sat next to him because she was sure he was just beginning the story.
He swallowed another drink. “It was the first week in December and pouring down rain. I was late for an appointment at the university. Parked as close as I could, but still a distance to walk.”
He closed his eyes as if recalling the scene, then opened them and drained his glass. “I was already late, but it was raining so hard, waited in my car to see if it’d slack up long enough to not get soaked. It didn’t. So after about fifteen minutes, I made a run for it. Head bowed, coat pulled up, I skidded to the door and ran smack dab into someone.
“When I looked at her, I couldn’t speak.” He chuckled. “I know. Hard to imagine, but she was so beautiful, I lost my voice. Love at first sight. If it’d been a sunny day, and I’d not waited in the car, I would have missed the love of my life.”
Raynie took a deep breath. “That’s a beautiful story, but I don’t see how it pertains to Jared and me.”
“I remember you telling me how you met. Church parking lot, right?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Spur of the moment you walk to St. Paul’s and arrive at the same time he’s leaving. Five minutes earlier or later, you would have missed each other. Don’t fight it. The universe won’t like it.”
“You know Mr. Remmus, reading all those romance novels to Charlotte turned you into a romantic at heart.”
He rose from his seat and strolled to the bookshelf and removed a novel. “Take this one. It was my Charlotte’s favorite. Maybe it’ll change your mind about lasting love.”
“If the sweet story you shared can’t do it, I doubt this book can.” In spite of what she said, she accepted the hardback, then rose and walked to the door. “See you tomorrow.”
At three o’clock, Raynie waited in line for the school bell to sound and stared at the novel’s title. Serendipity. She couldn’t help but laugh. Her neighbor was driving his point home. She opened to the first page.
Allen had plans. He knew where he was going and how to get there. The last thing he needed or wanted was a complication, but that’s what he’d run into. Literally. A gorgeous, blue-eyed, dark-haired, soaking wet complication.
Raynie smiled. Was his story true or from the book? Memory goes long before age eighty. Easy to confuse fact and fiction.
As she tried to right herself, Allen reached out to help her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“That’s okay. It was as much my fault as yours. We were both in a hurry because of the weather.”
She shivered when she said it and even though the temperature hovered in the upper thirties, Allen sweated. He held the door open, and she went inside, then turned back to him.
“I’m Charlotte.” She stuck out her hand.
He slid his palm into hers. So soft and warm. He imagined she was the same all over. “Allen. Nice to meet you. Would you like to get a coffee? I mean—if you aren’t busy. I mean—when I’m done with my appointment. I mean—if you want to.”
She giggled. A sound so sweet, it rivaled songbirds. “I’d like that. I mean, I’m not busy. I mean, I’ll wait until you’re done with your meeting. I mean, I want to.”
Raynie closed the book and pressed it to her chest. Allen and Charlotte. The characters had the same story as next door neighbor Mr. Remmus and his wife. Talk about serendipity.
After homework, a bath, and Silbie’s favorite bedtime story, Raynie tucked her in for the night.
“Aunt Raynie. Are we moving away?”
The question stopped her heart. “Why do you ask?”
“Grammy Collins said you were making me leave my friends. I don’t want to.”
Raynie walked back to the bed and sat on the edge. “You could make new friends.”
The child burst into tears. “I don’t want to move. I like it here. This is my house. If you make me go, I’ll hate you forever.”
Raynie’s stomach lurched. Grammy Bitch was ruining her life. She shook the thought away and wrapped Silbie in her arms. “Please don’t cry. We’re not moving.” Not entirely a lie. Court documents prevented leaving and depending on how the judge ruled, she might not have Silbie anymore.
“You pinkie swear?”
Raynie hooked her finger in Silbie’s. “I swear. Now go to sleep.”
Later, Raynie lay awake planning ways to get even with Grammy. Lock her in a room and blast rap music 24/7. Take her credit cards. Cancel her country club membership. Silly. But easier than thinking about her problems or Jared.
As hard as she tried, she couldn’t get the earlier conversation out of her mind. Mr. Remmus made sense. The chance meeting reeked of fate. But by now, LuvsmeLuvsmeKnot had the results and no call from Jared. So it really was coincidence and belonged to a random thirty-two-year-old. Or, maybe it was him and the question wasn’t about Raynie but reconnecting with Jared’s former fiancée. He’d said she was back in town.
If only the reading was his, then Raynie couldn’t deny Karma was showing her the way. Serendipity for sure.
Moving on is simple,
it’s what you leave behind that makes it difficult.
~Anonymous
TWENTY CHAPTERS INTO the novel, Raynie discovered the sweetest love story she’d read in a long time. Not much steam, but written in 1960, she didn’t expect any. Farm boy from meager means meets city girl with family wealth. Total opposites. Wrong. He worshiped her and in return she loved him with her whole heart.
He wrote her poetry. She sang him songs. They danced in the moonlight and counted stars. He gave her flowers. She baked him cookies.
It all sounded so familiar and Raynie wanted to see Jared more than ever. With that final thought, she closed the book and drifted into sleep.
By noon the next day, she’d finished the story and waited for her neighbor’s visit. The liquor cabinet was replenished so he wouldn’t miss his regular dose of bourbon. Even bought an extra bottle, but no need offering it to the old man. His routine was as much about loneliness as getting free booze.
She took a moment to consider if she’d be alone at that age. According to Jared, she would, unless she changed. What did he think she’d done since her sister died? Raynie’s entire world had turned upside down. She’d given up everything. Home. Business. Friends. Her heart was the only thing left intact. Or was it?
Medusa strolled into the kitchen and pushed her bowl around. Metal scraping across tile must have sounded like a dinner bell because Mordecai sprinted into the room.
“Okay, okay. You’re hungry. Give me a minute.” She made quick work of opening a can and dividing organic chicken between the dishes. Couldn’t help but laugh. Kitten chicken. Funny. “Here you go.”
The pets—best decision ever. Silbie loved them and she always had playmates. If only Raynie could make up her mind about other things as easily. Especially Jared. Should she contact him?
From the window, she watched the old bourbon addict amble up the sidewalk, cup in one hand and cigar in the other. She grabbed the bottle, a glass, and went to meet him on the porch. “You’re right on time.”
“Punctuality is about all I have left going for me. Besides, don’t want to mess up your schedule.”
He sat in a wicker chair. Raynie eased into the other one and opened the bottle. “Silbie’s going home with a friend. Today, I’m al
l yours and I’ve decided to join you.” She filled his cup and splashed some in her glass. He took a drink, then released a breath. “Damn, that’s good stuff.” He brought the cigar to his lips, inhaled and blew the smoke toward Heaven. “Glad you’re drinking with me because we have something to celebrate. Harold got the grandparents to drop the lawsuit. You’re free to do as you please.”
Raynie’s breath caught. “What?”
“Yep. He dug up enough dirt on the old guy to get you anything you want. Seems he’s got a secret kid the wife doesn’t know about.”
“Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t joke about this. I know how important it is to you.”
She rose from her chair and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! For once, things are going my way.”
“So I guess this means you’ll be leaving.”
Raynie flopped onto her seat. “Not yet. Mrs. Collins broke the news to Silbie and she didn’t take it well. I sold my shop and now I don’t really have a reason to go back. Well, I still have personal things. You know, furniture and stuff. But for the last couple of weeks, I’ve hardly thought about leaving, and Silbie is so happy here. I mean, Lubbock isn’t unbearable. Dust storms only happen occasionally. And the sunsets and prairie dogs give it a certain charm.”
“Yeah, and then there’s your fellow.”
Raynie scrunched up her face and ignored the statement. “Oh, I finished the book.”
“How’d you like it?”
“Loved it. Not a coincidence it’s your story, right? So you must know Nella Summer.”
“All my life.”
“Well, I’d love for my mother to meet her sometime.”
“I can arrange that. So, back to your situation. You make up with Jared?”
Raynie knocked the whiskey back. Coughed. Sputtered. “No, I haven’t talked to him.”
“Hey, go easy on that. It ain’t a girly drink. If you’re not used to the hard stuff, it can put you under pretty quick.”
She waved him off. “I’ll be okay.”
“Whatever you say. Now, about your love-life. Want some advice? Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me. I’ve had more romance than you’ve thought about. The world may change, but not love. Everybody wants it. You’re no different.”
She appreciated his attempt to convert her, but he’d never been heartbroken. “That’s because you found happily-ever-after. Not everybody does.”
“Charlotte and I didn’t have it easy. Her family disapproved of me. And they were right. She could have done a lot better. But no man could have loved her more than this simple farm boy.”
“Oh, I know all about disapproving families.”
Mr. Remmus listened, as Raynie went into detail about her failed marriages, the divorce of her parents, and discovery of Celeste’s unhappiness. When she finished, she downed her second drink. “Fairy tale endings don’t run in my clan.”
“Chapters, Raynie. That’s the most we can hope for. I’m sure your mom and dad had plenty of them, and I’d bet so did your sister.” He held out his cup and Raynie refilled it. “Even in romance novels, there’s trouble. That’s what keeps you reading. How boring would life be if it was nothing but moonlight and roses? Nobody wants to read that crap—or live it. Besides, why do you think it’s called falling in love? Cause there’s always the risk of getting hurt.”
“I appreciate your insight, but the fact is, I like being single.”
The old man took a long drag from his cigar, puffed out the smoke in a slow stream. “Just one problem with that. At some point, being single turns in to being lonely.”
After he left, Raynie replayed his pep-talk. He sounded like an older version of Jared. Perhaps chapters was all she should expect. Maybe the liquor impaired her ability to reason.
Whatever it was caused her to agree to let Silbie spend the night with her friend. Raynie started to pour another drink, but she’d celebrated Harold’s victory enough. Well, it was her victory, but without Mr. R and his mean S.O.B. of a friend, she’d still be under the threat of losing Silbie. She wanted to tell Jared. Odd he came to mind before Quinn.
She could call him and invite him over. But what if he said no? All that blabber about love and romance was messing with her brain. Serendipity, my ass. What did an old man know? She picked up the paperback again and flipped it open to the acknowledgements. Nella thanked Allen and Charlotte for their story. That was so sweet.
She stared back at the book. Her vision blurred. She squinted. Brought the book closer. Nella. Allen. Nella. She grabbed a pencil and scrap piece of paper from the counter and scribbled the letters in reverse. Allen. Nella. Remmus. Summer. Holy crap. Allen Remmus is Nella Summer.
With over sixty romance novels, the old coot must know something about the subject. Yeah, how to convince women to believe in all that nonsense. Or was it? Maybe not. One thing for sure. For the past few weeks, life had been dismal. She thought it’d been about the lawsuit, but even now, knowing it was over, depression shadowed her like a storm cloud. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.
JARED READ THE tarot results one more time.
Seven of Wands shows you must fight and go after what you want. Refuse to yield and convince your love interest of what is in your heart.
Two of Swords This card signifies blocking her emotions, keeping you at arm’s length, and denying her true feelings. The biggest obstacle here is she doesn’t trust you’re meant to be together due to your differences.
Man, she got that right.
Two of Cups works in your favor because it shows opposites recognizing a bond and seeing commonalities. Twos are numbers of balance and finding common ground. A definite attraction and if you overcome the Two of Swords, she will listen to her heart instead of logic.
Eight of Coins points to slow and steady progress, paying attention to detail, being dedicated to a task and making an effort. You can’t push and expect her to realize she loves you or you belong together. You must be patient. Gradually show her you may have a different belief system, but yet have much in common, and much to teach each other.
At least he’d done something right. He’d not pushed. Taken things slow. But patience was wearing thin because time was running out. As soon as the custody case ended, she’d leave. For all he knew, she was packing now.
Lovers Card shows a bond, connection, feeling love and getting closer. Also, since it comes after the hard work of the Eight of coins, it shows there is a payoff here.
He wasn’t so sure about a payoff unless he changed her idea about happy endings. But according to her own prediction, he shouldn’t give up. And he wouldn’t. They belonged together. No doubt.
If he owned up to the bogus request, it would force her to admit it, too. Or she’d claim the reading skewed because it didn’t pertain to him. But it did. The information he’d provided was real. As sharp as she was, he expected her to be suspicious. Even call and confront him, but she hadn’t.
Maybe she liked her lifestyle so much, no matter what the cards showed, it wouldn’t be enough to change her. He’d given his best argument, and she’d still not come around. Beyond the phony inquiry, he didn’t have a plan. He’d made it clear the next move had to be hers, but it’d been days and his resolve was fading.
All the speculation gave him a headache. Just as he’d done a dozen times, he picked up his cell phone and scrolled to her name but couldn’t bring himself to call.
Out on the street, a flash of yellow caught his eye. A taxi stopped at the end of his drive, and when the door opened, Raynie emerged. His heart went into overdrive. Calm down. Deep breaths. Stay cool. Not possible, because he was so glad to see her. Why was she in a taxi? Unsteady, she staggered, then continued up the walk. Was she drunk?
He’d let her push the buzzer twice before he answered. Didn’t want to seem eager. She’d figured out his little hoax and came to give him a piece of her mind. He waited. Counted. Steeled his shoulders and swung the door wide.
Oh crap. “I know it was wrong to send for a reading, but you have to admit even the cards say there’s something between us.”
She blinked as if confused.
“That’s why you’re here, right? The phony request?”
“It was you!” She moved closer. Placed her palms on his chest and clutched his shirt. “Those damn cards kept coming up the same. How does that happen? It doesn’t. That’s freaky.” She yanked him nearer and pressed her lips to his.
He slid his hand to the back of her neck and held her in place while he deepened the kiss, tasting whiskey. She was drunk, but he didn’t care. She was in his arms and that’s all that mattered.
She broke the connection and stared at her two hands still clasped around fabric. “You like this shirt?”
“I guess. Why?”
“Because I want it off.” She jerked, buttons flew in every direction, exposing bare chest. She buried her face against his sternum and spoke. “Maybe chapters are all we have. Just one here and one there. I’m a terrible guardian. I let Silbie stay over with a friend on a school night.”
She planted a kiss on his tattoo then licked him there. “Hmm, you smell good enough to eat. Nella should have used that line. Or should I say Allen because Nella is Allen. In the story, Charlotte is Charlotte, and Allen is Allen, but Nella, who’s really Allen, wrote the book.”
Her sweet mouth pressed against him ignited a fire that quickly moved south. “Okay. I’m having trouble following this conversation, but I like where it’s headed.”
She pulled away and paced, waving her hands in the air as she ranted. “I mean, you’re not Allen and I’m not Charlotte, but he reminds me of an older you. I’m nothing like her. She was normal and bought in to all that mushy romance stuff.”
He wanted to ask who Allen and Charlotte were but decided he’d be better off to let her keep going. She seemed to be working things out, so an interruption might not go in his favor. Besides, that Eight of Coins card said patience was in order.