by Various
“Yes, sir,” she said, glancing back at the door.
“What’s that you say?” His voice rose. One ear turned toward her, probably to hear better.
Nearly deaf and blind. Nope, he wouldn’t recognize her even if she smacked him upside the
head and told him her name. She didn’t, but decided to push her luck a little.
“Was that girl ever found?” She pointed to her own portrait on the wall.
“Nope.” He shook his head. “She’d been my daughter’s best friend. Such a shame. Nobody really knows if she ran off or got swiped.”
Sadness swam around in her heart. She handed him a dollar bill for the water and grabbed the bottle off the counter. “Ten years is a long time ago. Why do you still have the picture up?”
“Because we looked for her for a long time. Sheriff Jacks thought she’d been abducted. Something about a sweatshirt she always wore.”
“Oh, really?” So that’s where her hoodie had gone. She’d always thought she’d left it back in her locker.
“My family helped in the search party. I won’t ever take it down. My daughter looks at it every time she comes to town for a visit.” He pointed to the picture. “I guess my family might after I pass on. Either way, it stays up until she’s found. I don’t care if she’s an adult. She’s still missing in my heart.”
She fought the urge to cry. The words were on the tip of her tongue to tell Mr. Brock the truth, but she couldn’t. Not yet. Jordan first and then her family. She thanked Mr. Brock, went to the door, but had to look back at the picture once more before going outside. A search party? One that lasted a long time. She’d had no idea her disappearance would have that sort of effect on the townspeople of Wilson. After all the shit they’d put her and her family through, they had actually searched for her. Amazing.
The map she’d yanked out of her briefcase led her down a familiar street. With one simple turn, it seemed like she drove into another world, a new housing development in Wilson. The run down trailers had melted away, leaving a much more beautiful place. Most of the houses were single story large stucco homes with rocky front yards or plush grass. She loved a thick lawn, a rare commodity in this area, and if she ever moved back here, she’d plant the greenest, softest grass she could find. What was she thinking? She wouldn’t move back to Wilson for anything.
She glanced at the map displayed across the passenger seat. Confusion overwhelmed her once she got to the end of Roadrunner Road, which should’ve led her to Dansea Lane. A wrought iron gate with a giant lock box blocking the world away from a huge private residence sat in the location that Dansea Lane should’ve been. She pulled to the side of the road and sat staring at the map. It couldn’t have been an old map and Jordan wouldn’t live in a place such as that. Would he? She flipped the radio off and rolled the window down.
The sound of an electric garage door lifting drifted through her open window. A short blonde woman carrying a tow-headed toddler on her hip walked out from the garage and into the yard.
The woman looked at the flowers lining the sidewalk leading to the front door. Once the woman noticed her sitting in the car, her eyes remained fixed on the small Honda. Her car stood out on this street. The dingy red car looked like it should be in the junk yard instead of parked in front of a house with a BMW convertible in the driveway. No wonder the woman stared.
Chelsea felt obligated to stick her head out the window to talk to her. She didn’t need a suspicious woman on her hands. It’s a good bet she knew the police officers here and probably had gone to school with them.
“Do you know where Dansea Lane is?” She pasted on the biggest smile manageable.
The lady put down her toddler and walked over to the window, looking cautiously at Chelsea. “Why are you looking for Dansea?”
She followed the woman’s gaze to the toddler, who had a strand of grass hanging from her mouth. What would Elizabeth have looked like at that age? The image of the little girl formed in her mind. Since she’d never seen Elizabeth, the image was pure fantasy. Not wanting to feel the sadness, she quickly pushed the idea away.
“I’m actually looking for my friend, Jordan.”
No smile, no sign of friendliness. “Are you a lawyer or a cop?” The woman had her hands on her ample hips and looked over at the toddler.
“Listen, I’m not a cop or a lawyer. My name’s Chelsea, and I’m looking for Jordan Case.”
“You’re Chelsea?”
Chapter 2
She shifted in her seat before starting the engine. She had no plans to sit in the hot car and be grilled by some stranger. This town might have grown, but it was still small enough people knew each other and gossip spread like the flu. “Yes. Do you know where Dansea is? If not, I’ll be on my way.”
“It’s right there,” the woman said, pointing to the wrought iron gate. She swooped the toddler into her arms and turned toward her again. “It’s a private road.”
“How did he manage that?” She wiped at a trickle of sweat rolling down her forehead. Damn, it was getting warm.
The woman shrugged her shoulders. “Petitioned the county, I guess. With enough money you can do about anything around here. He plans on a private neighborhood in there. You know, one of those gated communities big cities have?”
“Impressive.” Chelsea nodded. Her gaze swung to the gate.
“How long have you been in town?” The smile widened to show perfect white teeth.
“I just got here. I stopped by the store and then came over here.”
“Ah. A visit with old coot Brock, huh?” She winked.
Chelsea tried to picture the woman but couldn’t, even though she looked a tad familiar. The woman’s name brand logo t-shirt and manicured nails put her above her class of people anyway. They couldn’t have run in the same circle.
“I’m Lisa, by the way, and I have a great story for you. He isn’t home right now, so why don’t you come in and wait for him?” Lisa motioned toward the house. “Besides, it’s hot out here. Enjoy some air conditioning.”
“I don’t know…” Chelsea vaguely remembered Lisa.
“Oh, come on. I’d love to tell you about Jordan.” Lisa broad smile turned friendly.
The idea Lisa knew so much about her made her uneasy. Did Lisa offer the invitation with the intention to get the scoop on Chelsea and call all her friends? Would Chelsea be able to leave
the house before the whole town of Wilson knew of her return?
With everyone thinking she’d been abducted instead of a runaway, it made everything worse for her. She expected her family to have mixed emotions about her. Anger for sure. Her reception would be a far cry from a happy one with the news she was back. Unable to face Patty yet and with no other place to go, she got out of the car and followed Lisa up the sidewalk to the front door.
The living room looked as if a designer had taken it right out of a Southwestern decorating magazine. Palm tree portraits hung on a tan wall. The native prints stood nicely against the mauve and brown accented room. She’d missed the beauty of the area. It was a different lifestyle than the one she led in Oregon. She smiled at Lisa as she sat down on the couch opposite the chair Lisa took.
“Chelsea Montgomery,” Lisa said with a smile and a wink. “I’m glad to see you again.”
“How do you know me?” Chelsea eased into the plush chair, letting the exhaustion wash over her.
“First off, I know your sister Danielle. We were friends in high school, but I would know you even if I wasn’t friends with her. Everyone knows who you are.” Lisa watched her daughter playing with a pile of rubber blocks on the floor.
She rubbed her hands over her face. “I made some mistakes but I’m here to fix them. I guess it’s a little embarrassing the whole town knows what I did.” Her hands dropped back in her lap.
“I think most of it has been forgotten to the people who weren’t friends with your family. They’re a whole other issue to deal with though. But that’s not why we all know
about you.”
She fought the tears threatening to fall. “I don’t understand. Why does everyone know about me if it doesn’t have anything to do with my disappearance?” She didn’t know Lisa and certainly didn’t want to turn into a babbling cry baby in front of her. Okay, in all honesty, she didn’t want to do it in front of anyone. It didn’t matter who it was, since she’d vowed not to cry for the mistakes she’d made, and lived by the promise even now. She wouldn’t give anyone the power to make her cry.
“Let me explain. Two years ago, Jordan dated Bailey
Roan.”
“Oh.” She let the word come out in shocked sigh.
Lisa held a hand up. “No, it’s over now. Don’t worry about her. It’s because of you they broke up.”
“Me?” She shook her head as if it couldn’t be true. “But I wasn’t even here.”
“Taylor, no!” Lisa said to her daughter. She looked back at Chelsea and shook her head. “You’re the one the most eligible bachelor loves. You haven’t talked to Jordan since you left?”
Her cheeks flushed and her heart raced. “No. He wrote me a letter and I felt I owed him an explanation, so here I am.” Could Lisa see through the façade? It was true about making things right, but so much had been left out of the story, things she didn’t want to tell Lisa about. The gossip would spread through Wilson soon enough, she thought, glancing at the clock.
“Would you like something to drink?” Lisa asked, standing from her chair to take her daughter’s hand out of the potted plant.
“Sure.” She watched the little girl stick her hand into the plant again.
“Bottled water or soda?”
“Water would be fine,” Chelsea said as Lisa disappeared into the kitchen.
Lisa rustled around in the kitchen and then the refrigerator opened and shut. She came back in holding two bottles of water and a sippy cup for her daughter. “Jordan doesn’t talk about any of it, but Bailey does. I’m friends with them both and probably shouldn’t be saying anything, but I think you should know what’s going on around here where you’re concerned.”
The toddler’s interest switched from the planter of dirt to the red substance inside the cup. Chelsea laughed when the girl’s interest in the cup lasted only two sips of the drink and her attention
turned back to where it had began.
“Your daughter is cute,” she said with a smile. Images of Elizabeth filled her mind again. She avoided people with children for this very reason.
“Thanks. She just turned two.” Lisa reached for her daughter, who ran over and climbed into her lap. “Jordan graduated high school and went on to work for Joy’s Construction Company. He worked there all the time,putting in more hours than anyone else. To hide from the pain, I imagine. He bought the land over there, petitioned the city to let him put in a road and built the house. Whenever he’s home, the gate is unlocked. Nobody understood why.”
“How did he and Bailey hook up?” She didn’t like the jealousy forming in her stomach.
“They went to school together… Bailey was a cheerleader in high school.”
She forced a smile. “I know who Bailey is.” She’d never forget Bailey.
“Apparently, Bailey had a crush on Jordan the whole time you were with him. It didn’t come out until we were questioned in your disappearance.”
She gasped, sitting up in the chair. “You were? Why?”
Lisa laughed. “Nothing big. We were the last to see you, so it made us witnesses of some sort. Bailey didn’t want to tell the cops, but I came forward. They thought you had been abducted, so we were all visited by the sheriff but nothing came of it.”
“I remember you now. You were the girl who told Bailey to leave me alone.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. They questioned me for about ten minutes. Bailey’d been questioned even less. Anyway, they were reacquainted on a business deal. She’s a realtor so it had to have
been over one of the new houses being built in the expansion of Wilson.”
Oh, she knew Bailey all right. The thought of Bailey burned as the last night in Wilson flashed in her mind. Bailey had been her tormenter. She’d never understood why Bailey had hated her so
much. She’d forced the past from her thoughts until it decided to stay away permanently, which had been working until the letter came. Now it seemed to be back for good. “What happened?”
“He liked her and she fell in love with him right away. They dated for awhile. She wanted a commitment but he didn’t. It came to the point where Bailey demanded they either move forward or move on.” Lisa sighed.
Chelsea shifted in her seat. It felt weird to hear about Jordan with another woman. He’d been the only one for her. Jealousy grew stronger.
“He invited her to move in, so she did. Whew! Big mistake. Jordan worked longer hours. My husband travels all the time, so this became her favorite place to hang out and cry on my shoulder. She found proof he’d been looking for you.” Lisa held her hands out as if presenting Chelsea as a prize. “Her suspicions had been right after all.”
Her hand slid over her mouth in shock. Jordan had been looking for her the whole time? He should’ve moved on by now and by the sounds of it, he had tried. Has it been as impossible or him as for her? “Ohmigod.”
“One day they had a huge fight. You could hear them screaming at each other clear down the street. One of the neighbors called the cops. They quieted down, but Jordan said he needed some space. He packed his bag and left to who-knows-where for about a week. He’d come back to an empty house. I felt bad for her but she knew everything from the beginning. Like I said, everyone knows about you.”
“Do you know what caused their fight?” Her heart seemed like it was about to explode in her chest. She could barely breathe and wasn’t sure she wanted to hear all of this before facing Jordan. How could she explain everything knowing he still loved her? Then it hit her…he felt that way before he had found out about Elizabeth. They were playing a whole other ball game now.
Lisa shrugged. “That’s one thing Bailey won’t tell me. I have always been curious, though.”
“How long have they been broke up?”
Before Lisa could answer, the iron gate clanked next door. The time had come.
Chapter 3
“He’s home,” mumbled Lisa, obviously not wanting their meeting to end.
She jumped up from her chair as if it were on fire. “You think so?”
“Yes. I heard the gate open. I hear it every night at six.” Lisa walked Chelsea to the door. Along the way, she grabbed Taylor and swung her onto her hip, then pushed the door open.
Chelsea slid into her car and rolled down the window. “It’s nice meeting you. Thanks for sharing.”
Lisa walked to the driver side of the car and leaned down. “I’m glad for our visit today. My husband is gone a lot on business,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t have many friends.”
She smiled at Lisa. “We’ll have lunch soon, then.”
“Sounds wonderful. Good luck with Jordan.”
Luck. She’d need much more of it than Lisa would ever realize.
She stared at the opened gate. The entrance to Dansea Lane—in other words Jordan’s house—was calling to her. It seemed like her foot wouldn’t press on the gas even though she’d already twisted the key to start the ignition. Fear swirled through her unlike any other time in her life. Even stronger than when she’d packed up her duffle bag and left Wilson at seventeen years old, or when she’d made her decision to give up her baby. Shame tangoed with the fear once she glanced down at the letter still sitting on the passenger seat. It took over five minutes to force her foot to press down on the gas pedal and make the car move toward the gate to Jordan’s house.
It ended up being only a few feet until she parked behind his large new black truck. She sat there for a minute and stared at it. Jordan Case drove that vehicle. Good or bad, she was back in his life. Keepi
ng her eyes focused on his truck, she managed to find the door handle to push her door open.
The large house would be considered a mansion for the town of Wilson. It was a unique structure with a combination of the desert motif along with an old fashioned style. A large porch wrapped around the stuccoed front of the house with big windows. Large cacti and palm trees decorated the lawn. She took the stairs slowly and a little part of her hoped he didn’t answer the door. If he didn’t answer, then at least she’d tried to tell him.
As soon as her knuckles hit the wood, the door swung open. Dark eyes widened with surprise.
He stepped into the door frame. Dressed in a pair of jeans, shirtless, and his curly hair still wet from a shower, she couldn’t help but admire him as a man and not the boy he’d been when she left.
The scent of aftershave and soap wafted out. No cologne. Just deliciously clean.
“Hi,” she breathed, sliding her fingers through her messy hair and looking down at the porch.
“Chelsea.”
“I received your letter and uh…thought…knew I had to come and talk to you.” She crossed her arms and looked back up at him. What else could she say? Her heart pounded up into her throat, feeling like it would explode.
Hurry up and say something…anything, Jordan.
“Did you have a boy or girl?”
She hadn’t thought he would ask her so soon. “Um…a girl.”
“I see. Why don’t you get her and come in.” He looked toward the car half-hidden behind his large truck.
“Um…get who?” She glanced toward his line of vision. Surely he knew she didn’t have Elizabeth anymore. Didn’t he?
“My daughter. Who else would I be talking about?” He walked out of the house and toward the stairs.
She reached out to stop him. His skin felt like fire under her grip and she instantly drew her hand away from his bare flesh as if it had burned her. “Jordan, wait…” She watched him walk down the stairs.
He was going to check her car for his daughter.