“I forgot to tell you,” her grandfather said. “Rick just called. He tried your phone but you weren’t answering so he called mine. He wants you to return his call. He’s back in town.”
Diane’s shoulder’s straightened immediately. “He’s back?”
“He’s staying at his home,” her grandfather confirmed.
“I’ll call him when I’m done showering,” Diane said, immediately escaping to the privacy of the small bathroom. She leaned against the sink when she got inside, trying to gauge her reaction to the information. She felt pleased by Rick’s return but she still remained vulnerable and unsettled about what had happened between them. He had chosen not to call or text her after their one troubling conversation and it didn’t help her feel any more secure about their relationship. He’d been gone for a week.
Diane showered and cleaned up, glancing in the mirror after she’d finished. At least she appeared more relaxed and less troubled than she had previously. Ever since the charges against her had been dropped, the oppressive dark circles beneath her eyes had virtually disappeared. If only she could rid herself of the nagging doubts regarding her relationship with Rick. “Grandpa, I’m on my way out,” Diane called to him after she’d finished.
“Are you going to phone Rick?” he asked.
“I’ve decided I’ll drop by his place,” she said. “Don’t plan on me for dinner.”
“Stay as long as you’d like,” her grandfather responded.
Diane regretted her decision to drop by Rick’s home without calling when she noticed an unfamiliar car in his driveway as she drove toward his home. She had almost turned around to leave when an older woman stepped outside. Diane stared at her in surprise. It was Mrs. Embleton, Rick’s mother, as always impeccably dressed. Her still-dark hair was set in the salon style Diane had always remembered and jewels adorned her hands, ears and neck. Diane couldn’t believe how young she still looked, her trim figure wrapped in an expensive skirt and blouse. Diane didn’t hesitate as she pulled in near the house.
Mrs. Embleton’s warm smile as she recognized their visitor quickly put Diane at ease. “How wonderful to see you, Diane,” Mrs. Embleton said as she walked toward her, enfolding her in a motherly embrace. “It’s been such a long time.”
“It has been,” Diane acknowledged. “Mrs. Embleton, you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to apologize for all that’s happened. Please know how sorry I am for…”
Mrs. Embleton dismissed her apology with a quick wave of her hand. “Please, Diane. Rick has explained everything to me. As far as I’m concerned, you had nothing to do with it and you owe me no apologies. I’m only sorry for what you’ve had to go through.”
Diane let out a slow, relieved breath. “Thank you. I wanted to have the chance to clear the air between us. You have always been such a good friend.” Her shoulders had relaxed. “Are you here for a visit or will you be staying for good?”
Mrs. Embleton glanced around her. “For right now, I’m only visiting. I do love it here but it’s still hard for me to not have John here with me.” She smiled briefly at the mention of her late husband. “Since Rick plans on settling in town I might change my mind in the future.”
Diane’s eyes widened at the information. “Rick plans on settling here?”
“From what I understand, he does. I imagine you dropped by to see him?”
“If he’s available.”
“Of course. I was just on my way out to the car to find my glasses. We were hoping to go out to eat in a few minutes. Perhaps you’d like to join us. We’d love to have you.”
“I don’t want to interrupt anything,” Diane responded.
“Nonsense. We’d love to have you. It will help even out the numbers since Rick’s girlfriend will be accompanying us.”
Diane froze, her heart stopping for one tense moment before it continued its erratic beating. She numbly watched Mrs. Embleton as she went about searching for her glasses in the car. Rick’s girlfriend? Had she heard correctly? Diane felt almost sick. She had consigned herself to a night spent with Rick…and his girlfriend? She could hardly fathom it let alone absorb the fact that Rick had divulged nothing—absolutely nothing—of his renewed association with Diane to his mother. Why would Mrs. Embleton inadvertently put her in that kind of awkward situation?
“Mother, did you decide where you want to eat?” came Rick’s deep voice from behind the entryway as he walked outside. Diane almost panicked. He had obviously not seen her and she could not be certain of his reaction until he did. When Rick lifted his dark eyes, he almost did a double-take. “Diane,” he said, surprise lacing his forcibly-controlled tones.
“Diane has agreed to accompany us to dinner,” Mrs. Embleton explained after she’d found her glasses and lifted herself from the car. “Won’t it be nice to have her as our guest tonight?”
“Mrs. Embleton,” Diane began shakily. “I suddenly remembered a few errands I’d promised my grandfather I’d run. Perhaps I should plan on joining you another time.”
“Please let them wait,” Mrs. Embleton countered. “I’d love the chance to visit. I don’t know when I’ll have another opportunity. Why don’t we go to that little Mexican restaurant in town, the one your father and I used to love?” she said to Rick.
Diane shot a pleading, desperate glance at Rick, hoping for an ally to help her come up with an appropriate excuse. Though it seemed he wanted to help alleviate the uncomfortable situation as much as she did, he could only look in uncertainty at her. “We can go there,” he finally answered.
Suddenly the woman who was the unwitting accomplice in Diane’s discomfort walked out and perched herself by Rick’s side. Before she discovered Diane, Diane had a few moments to take in her appearance. She was tall, blonde, trim, deeply tanned and beautiful—in every sense of the word. Her long neck and deep blue eyes made her look like a model ready for a shoot. Every inch of her bespoke fashion and glamour. Diane felt all of her confidence waning.
Rick was forced to do the un-welcomed introductions after his girlfriend finally noticed Diane. Cassie Drake, the woman at Rick’s side, seemed calm until Diane’s name was spoken. Diane immediately saw the hardened look about her mouth and the icy glaze which came over her eyes.
“We should get on our way,” Rick decided shortly afterward. “Diane will be accompanying us tonight, Cassie.”
Cassie shot him a look of abhorrence, a look not hidden from either Diane or his mother. Mrs. Embleton bore it calmly but it only unsettled Diane further. She didn’t want to be here as much as Cassie didn’t want her here.
“I’ll take my car,” Diane cut in, floundering hopelessly for something to say. “Then I can leave a bit early and finish those errands for my grandfather.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Mrs. Embleton concurred. “I’ll drive over with you and then Rick and Cassie can drive me back.”
Cassie, with a defiant twist of her head, marched stiffly to the passenger side of Rick’s car and waited for him to open the door. Mrs. Embleton glanced briefly back at her but didn’t mention Cassie’s behavior as she eased herself onto Diane’s front seat. Diane only had a few moments during the drive to the restaurant to prepare herself for the upcoming meal as she answered Mrs. Embleton’s unceasing questions. She knew her turbulent emotions had to be glossed over. She couldn’t, for the life of her, let Rick see her anguish and humiliation. She summoned every ounce of inward pride to help her with that Herculean task as she and Mrs. Embleton arrived.
Diane almost lost her relative control when Rick and Cassie first joined them at the small table but a few minutes of forced conversation with Rick’s mother helped. Though Cassie sat directly opposite her, Diane did not dare hazard a glance her way. There was no mistaking the bitter, hostile undercurrents coming from that quarter of the table. Diane could tell Rick did his utmost to forward the conversation but Diane could not control the conflicting emotions that arose every time he tried to speak to her. She, therefore, fixed her attention on
Mrs. Embleton and Mrs. Embleton only, not letting Rick get in a word edgewise.
It wasn’t until some time later, as Mrs. Embleton and Cassie were studying their menus, that Diane noticed Rick’s intense gaze fastened on her partly-turned features. Diane let her eyes wander innocently to his, not able to mask the pained expression she knew would be there. He slowly raised one brow—a subtle gesture of reassurance? They were called from their silent exchange by the arrival of the waitress. Diane ordered in turn, cognizant of all eyes upon her as she did.
“How is your grandfather doing?” Mrs. Embleton asked when she’d finished.
“He’s not doing as well as I hoped,” Diane admitted, not looking at Rick again. “He’s been showing his age more than I’ve ever noticed. I’ve been worried about him.”
“With all that’s happened, it’s understandable he’d be having a difficult time,” Mrs. Embleton said.
For a moment, Diane became distracted by Cassie’s behavior. She had rested her blonde head on Rick’s shoulder and had one polished hand over his as the other ran briefly through his dark hair. She was obviously staking a prized and valued claim on him. Diane’s calm facade was forgotten and she felt a streak of pure, unadulterated jealousy course through her, making the steamy meal served afterward far from appetizing. She held on tightly to her fork, trying to curb the trembling in her fingers, before she began eating.
If it had not been for Mrs. Embleton, Diane would have not been able to endure the following hour of misery. Cassie’s come-ons toward Rick became even more persistent. She soon had Rick occupied with descriptive reminders of their recent escapades, speaking loudly enough for Diane to hear. When Diane overheard lengthy, play-by-play details of a romantic, moonlit night they’d spent together, she felt her insides crawl with betrayal and anger. Cassie had been much easier to deal with as a figment of her imagination, not a flesh-and-blood woman who was as interested in securing Rick’s heart as she was.
Had Diane been the victim of an ego trip? Had Rick made overtures toward her only because he had wanted to see if she would fall for him as easily as she had in the past? Diane didn’t know. All she did know was that she had to get out of there—fast. When the offer of dessert came, Diane used it as the needed interruption to quickly excuse herself. “Mrs. Embleton, I’d really better get going. I’m sorry. I do appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to visit with you but I think it’s best that I leave.”
Diane opened her purse to pay for her meal but Mrs. Embleton stopped her. “Dinner’s on us tonight, Diane. It’s been nice seeing you.” The watchful eyes in her kind face seemed to sense some of her distress but Diane hoped not enough to question her son about it later. With a polite nod, Diane excused herself and left, not allowing even a sideways glance at Rick.
It wasn’t until she was driving on the darkened road toward home that delayed reaction to the evening finally hit. Knowing she could not yet face her grandfather’s questions, Diane turned toward the road that led toward the resort. The night was cloudless as she drove. The stars above shone brightly, their ethereal lights twinkling above the thin sliver of the moon. Diane stared unseeingly at the passing landscape, a detached numbness seeping through her. She finally found an isolated offshoot that turned into a bumpy dirt road and pulled down it far enough to be out of sight of any other vehicles. She turned off the engine, engulfed in the resulting stillness. There were no sounds—no soft rustling of the wind, no crickets chirping, nothing. All lay still and quiet.
Diane pressed her forehead against the wheel, trying to force the images of Rick and Cassie out of her mind. Despite her efforts, Cassie’s flowery description of her and Rick’s romantic night together played again and again through her mind, causing that familiar deep ache Diane knew all too well. Had that evening just occurred during this last week when Rick had visited?
Why hadn’t Rick told her the truth? Diane wondered. Why hadn’t he prepared her for the fact that he’d decided to remain with Cassie, explaining his choices to her instead of allowing her to make a terrible fool of herself in front of them all?
It seemed almost ironic to Diane that here she was experiencing many of the same emotions she’d had after Rick had initially left town. It was her fault, entirely her fault. She had known she was taking a chance; she had sensed the risks of opening up her heart to him again. She had allowed her lingering attraction to him to evoke all the feelings of love and commitment they’d shared in the past. She should have waited. She should have made sure she was stronger and that all the wounds from the past had been healed. Now they were sliced open again and she didn’t know where she’d find the strength to begin to bandage herself up.
The weight of her burdens sank painfully into her heart. Did Rick feel any sorrow—any regret—about hurting her again? Did their reconciliation, their past, their recent association mean nothing to him? Diane felt grateful for one thing. She felt relieved she had never taken the job at the R & J. At least she would be safe from seeing him. With Cassie monopolizing his heart and time, Diane knew she wouldn’t have lasted emotionally.
Diane closed her eyes, trying to erase Rick’s features from her mind. She still loved him, she sensed that—for what they had shared together and for who she still believed he was. But too many outside influences had torn them apart. She should have known it would be impossible to break through and dissolve them.
Diane sat motionless in the darkness. Her eyes felt heavy with strain and fatigue but she continued to sit quietly, letting the hurt and pain she’d held at bay before envelop her. She knew she would survive. She knew that, by tomorrow, anger and resentment would help her regain her fighting spirit. But for now, for the present, she let herself feel, completely and profoundly, the anguish that remained inside her.
Diane suddenly awoke, shivering lightly from the chill that had settled about her. She lifted her head from the wheel of her car, rubbing the slight crease in her forehead, a curving indentation from her unmoving posture. She had fallen asleep without realizing it. She shook her head to clear it, trying to rouse herself before she glanced at the time. It was past midnight.
Diane slowly unfolded her stiff hands and rubbed them together before she turned the key in the ignition. The car rumbled into motion, the stillness outside broken by the dull, steady hum of the engine. It was a good thing she’d told her grandfather not to wait up. He might have been worried by her long absence. She slowly backed out, the car wheels spreading the loose sand beneath, before she turned around and headed back to her grandfather’s home.
Diane felt some concern when she noticed her grandfather’s front room lights still on when she arrived. She pulled in her brows, troubled. Had her grandfather been up waiting for her? Not until she pulled into the driveway did she notice with sudden alarm that Rick’s car had been parked a short distance down the street. Diane closed her eyes in displeased reaction. She certainly did not feel up to facing him at the moment. She could tell her eyelids were puffy and her hair lay in unkempt waves about her face.
Diane sat in her car for a few quiet minutes before she summoned the courage to face both her grandfather and Rick inside. She exited the car, quietly shutting the door behind her, before she walked softly across the sidewalk and up the rickety porch stairs. The low, distinct drone of voices met her at the screen door. She could pick out Rick’s deep tones against her grandfather’s more frequent ones but she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Diane took in a steadying breath and pushed the door open. Both pair of eyes were instantly upon her. “We’ve been worried about you,” her grandfather said. “You weren’t answering your phone. We didn’t know where you were.”
Diane felt uncomfortable beneath the hazy lights that illuminated her. She kept her eyes averted from Rick as he sat in the old, worn armchair close beside her. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, “but if you don’t mind, I’m really tired. I’m going to bed.”
“Diane.” Rick’s voice stopped her this time.
Diane hesitated, clenching her fists at her side before turning toward him, her eyes resting distantly on his features.
“I came by because I was hoping we could talk,” he explained.
Diane’s grandfather hoisted himself up from the fraying couch, coming up beside her and giving her a consoling pat on the arm. “I’m glad you’re home. I’ll be turning in myself. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Diane called after him, wishing he wouldn’t leave her alone with Rick. When he disappeared into his room, Rick slowly stood from the place he had been sitting. Diane turned her head from his, not willing to look at him.
“Do you mind if we speak outside?” Rick asked.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to go to bed,” Diane countered tiredly. “I’ve had a long day.”
“Please, Diane.”
Diane took in a resentful breath and pivoted slowly before she walked back outside. She stood with feigned tranquility as Rick followed her and stood a few feet away, his eyes never once leaving her face. Despite how hard it was, Diane lifted her features toward his, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “What is it that you wanted to say?” she asked.
“I know you’re angry with me and I don’t blame you,” Rick began slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. “Believe me when I say I can understand how you’re feeling right now.”
“Oh?” Diane responded, lifting her brows upward. “How do you think I’m feeling right now?”
“I know you felt uncomfortable tonight.”
Diane shook her head in disbelief. “I’m surprised you care.”
Rick didn’t flinch at her reaction. “I do care,” he answered evenly. “I care a great deal about you.”
“You have a perverse way of showing it,” Diane countered resentfully. “I honestly would have preferred a call or text or some other type of forewarning about the changes in your personal life. I wish your concern would have extended at least that far.”
Where Lies End Page 14