Everlasting

by L. K. Kuhl

When I stepped out of the shower, I jumped. Aaron stood facing me, a sly smile curving his lips. I scrambled for a towel. “What are you doing in here?”

  “Watching you.” He reached for me, trying to peel off the towel. I held on tighter, resisting his pull. He finally lessened his grip, but his hands still groped for me. “I do have some places I want to go today, but I don’t need your car. Just drop me off at Diana’s Diner. I’m meeting Dave Timbers there for breakfast.” Dave was one of his best friends from high school and still lived here in Cascade. His family owned the local lumberyard.

  I darted away, resisting his advances, heading back to my room with the towel still wrapped securely around me. “Okay, whatever you say. Oh, and when you go back home, Mandy’s car is still at Charleston. You just as well take it, and either keep it or give it to your parents. Your mom might need it.”

  * * *

  Half an hour later, I parked in front of the bank, my damp hair pulled back into a ponytail. The sunshine was deceiving, making it look warmer, and I was thankful I had thrown my black high school hoodie on over my short-sleeved blouse before I left the house. At least I had been able to sneak the briefcase out to my car without Mom seeing. She would be asking all sorts of unnecessary questions that I couldn’t answer just yet. I hated being this sneaky, but right now, it was my only choice.

  Claudia’s little yellow car drove up and parked beside me. She set the park brake and grabbed her box of tissues off the dash before she slammed the door.

  A wide smile covered my face, and I hopped out. “Claudia, you look great.” I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. Almost as awkward and clumsy as Dad, she returned the hug with only half the ambition and warmth that came from me.

  I knew Claudia liked me, it was just the best way she knew to show affection. Her hair glistened in the sun, and it made it hard to focus my eyes. I brought down my sunglasses from the top of my head to ease the brightness some.

  She sneezed and blew her nose. “Nice to see you, too, Sophia. It was a boring summer without you. Let’s go in. I’m hoping my mom’s free.”

  “Alright, let’s get this over with.” I sighed and clutched the briefcase against my chest as Claudia opened the glass doors of the bank breezeway.

  Alice Bunker smiled and waved when she saw us come in. Her hair was pulled up into a beehive straight from the sixties, a few spiral wisps dangling down around her face. She never wore makeup, and her jewelry, if she wore any, usually just included a simple chain, with small silver dots punctuating her ears. Mrs. Bunker was what she preferred to be called.

  She was talking to a customer but stepped aside to speak to Claudia and me. “Hi girls. It’s nice to see you again, Sophia. I’m sorry, but I’m kind of busy at the moment. You can work with Stacy. She just started yesterday, and she would be happy to help you. I told her I would be near if she had any questions, but I’m sure she’s capable.”

  Mrs. Bunker motioned to the backside of a curvaceous blonde dressed in a dark blue, form-fitting knit dress, complete with white pumps. The blonde filed through a manila folder, intent on her work.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Bunker. It’s good to be home again and catch up with all of my friends, especially Claudia.” I gave them both a warm smile. “We can work with Stacy if you’re busy. That’s no problem.”

  “Hold on one second, and I’ll grab her for you.” Alice Bunker turned from us to address Stacy. “Stacy, would you mind helping Sophia? She wants to open up an account.”

  The soft wave of blond hair sweeping down and grazing her mascaraed, dark brown eyes and the black beauty mark situated just above the left side of her top lip was an instant giveaway when she turned around to face us…Stacy Sheffield. Stacy Sheffield, the prom queen, homecoming queen, and cheerleading captain all rolled into one. She had been the most popular girl in school and had graduated two years ago.

  She and Aaron had dated all through high school, both of them were quite a sight to see when you’d meet them walking down the school hallway together. Aaron, the big, muscle-bound star of the football team, and Stacy, the voluptuous, blonde, cheerleading beauty, hanging like an appendage to his side. They were inseparable, and she’d never really dated much again after Aaron moved away halfway through his senior year.

  My stomach knotted—a pang of jealousy—when I took in her beauty. Her flawless complexion, her dark, seductive, bedroom eyes, and her tiny upturned nose were a tough pill to swallow. I tucked my hair behind my ears, feeling frumpy and plain. It was no wonder Aaron had dated her and kept her away from all other men.

  She turned around. “May I help you?” Her voice floated on the air, but a note of petulance itched there when her gaze caught Claudia and me standing at the counter. Even with its slight irritation, her voice still carried a smooth and sexy tone, and it was obvious why Aaron had been so attracted to her—just the sound of her voice had probably turned him on.

  She looked down at us over her raised nose like we were nothing more than a piece of dirt under her fingernail. I’d be surprised if she remembered us; she had no reason to give us the time of day in school, so why would she now?

  “Yes, I’d like to open a savings account.” I lodged my own distinct brand of cockiness in my voice knowing I had thirteen million dollars clutched under my arm. Way more, I was sure, than she would ever have.

  She sneered, tapping her pen on the counter. “Our bank policy is to open a savings account with at least one hundred dollars. Do you have that much?”

  I gave her a brash smile and heaved the briefcase up on the counter, unsnapping the metal-hinged locks with a click, the briefcase bursting open. A gasp escaped Claudia’s throat.

  “I think there might be a hundred here.” I fought hard to hold back a taunting snicker.

  The look on Stacy’s face made me beam inside as she stared, almost with horror, at the lute inside. Her wide eyes grew black, unable to look away. “Okay.” She swallowed hard and pushed a piece of paper toward me. “Take this over to that counter and fill it out. I’ll get you an account set up.”

  Claudia nudged up close when we walked up to the counter behind us, not wanting anyone to hear. “Sophia, where’d you get all that money?” Her eyes large, mouth falling open, she looked around the room, her body rigid. You would have thought I’d just robbed a bank. She concealed me with her body—a look of guilt emanating from her.

  It surprised me to see Claudia display this much emotion. In all the years that I’d been friends with her, this was the only time I had ever seen a rise out of her. I snickered. “I’ll tell you all about it later. It’s a long, unbelievable story, but I know I can trust you to not tell anyone.”

  She nodded her head while I took the completed paper back to the counter.

  * * *

  Claudia and I spent the afternoon driving around in my small, rusty purple car—a rattletrap with peeling paint and loud exhaust, but it always started and couldn’t get better gas mileage if it were a pedal car.

  I told her the whole story of my vacation; how Mandy, Matt, and Tate had died and came to me as ghosts; how Tate had left me the money; and most of all, how I had fallen in love with him. She took it all in, letting me talk, airing out my thoughts and feelings, never interrupting or saying a word.

  I pulled a picture of Tate from my purse that I had snatched off of his dresser before we left that last day. It was taken the summer before he was a senior, two months before he had gotten killed. His firm, tanned skin glistened in the sun as he knelt in the sand—the aqua-blue ocean a painted canvas behind him. His arm was snuggled tight around Symphony—his best friend—her favorite red plastic disc hanging out of her mouth and her ears perked and ready.

  I rubbed my nose. “There is one thing I need to watch out for, though, and I don’t want you freaking out.”

  “What’s that?”

  I told her about Lidia—what she is and what they do—that she could pop in at any moment. “I’m sure I’m the only one who can see her, but if you see me
searching for buckets of ice and water, you’ll know what it’s about, and I might need your help.”

  Claudia’s only response to my whole sordid, unbelievable story was, “I don’t blame you for falling in love with Tate. He looks like he loves unconditionally. I believe you were meant for each other.”

  * * *

  Five o’clock rattled my phone when I rolled around the corner, coming up the road to my driveway after dropping Claudia off. A bright red sports car convertible sat in front of the house. I pulled up and stopped, the car sputtering a few times before it shut off. I got out and looked at the new dealer tags in the window. Aaron’s…I should have known.

  The screen door creaked when I opened it to go inside the house. “Mom, I’m home. Did you make anything good to eat?”

  “Aaron and I are in the living room, dear. There’s chocolate cake in the fridge.”

  I opened the fridge and grabbed out the cake pan, giving the door a quick bump with my hip to push it closed. After setting the cake on the table, I dug out a piece of crumbly delight and dumped it out on a small glass plate. I licked my fingers, reveling in the taste of gooey goodness that stuck to them. See, it is good to be clumsy once in a while.

  “So, who got the new car?” I came into the living room carrying my cake—a fork full of chocolate frosting sticking out of my mouth.

  “That’s Aaron’s. Isn’t it just beautiful?” Mom jumped up off of the couch so I could have her spot by Aaron. She volunteered at the local hospital and mostly wore polyester pantsuits and multicolored neck scarves. Today she had on a bright purple pantsuit with a red-and-green scarf, her straight hair set and curled, and a splash of color on her cheeks and eyelids.

  Aaron had a grin stretching from ear to ear, tossing the keys from one hand to the next. “You ready for a ride in it?”

  “You gonna let me drive?”

  “Nope. Nobody touches that car but me.”

  “See what being a good lawyer can buy you?” Mom snuck a wink to Aaron.

  “It isn’t much.” Aaron shrugged his shoulders casually. “And yes, Sophia can have the same things if she sticks with me.”

  “Well, if it isn’t much, I can drive then.”

  He got up off the couch and came up behind me, enveloping me in his arms. “Sorry, no deal.”

  We left the house and went for a drive. Aaron drove fast, showing off. With the top down, my hair blew wild, tangling like fishing line. If I ever got a brush to go through it again, it would be a miracle.

  It brought back memories of that first day Mandy picked me up from the airport and had her little car going almost this same speed. I shivered, still unable to believe it had been a ghost driving, and I had entrusted my life to just a boneless, spiritual entity.

  “How long do you plan on staying here?” I glanced at Aaron after we had slowed back down to a normal speed.

  His phone rang. He glanced down at it, smirking when he saw who the caller was. “Hold that thought, Sophia, I need to take this call.” He winked, then turned his attention to the phone. “Hi…how did everything go? Perfect, now we just sit back and wait…let a little time roll by…. Talk to you soon…bye.” A smile on his face, he stared out the windshield—lost in thought for a brief second before he returned to me. “What was that question, now?”

  “Who was that?” I pointed to the phone. A strange look had come over his face after the conversation.

  Aaron hesitated. “Uh, just a business associate. We got a hot little mess of a case going on right now, and Scott Newberry, my right-hand man, is keeping me updated on how things are progressing now that I’m out of the office.” He rubbed my chin with his fingers.

  “Sounds exciting. Which is what I asked earlier before your phone call…. When do you plan on going back home to take care of your business?”

  “In a day or two.” He pulled into a secluded grove of trees alongside a rambling river. The scrunching of the black leather seat gave away his advancement toward me after he shut off the car. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy, though. I want you to be my girlfriend, Sophia. I’ll go home, get my affairs in order, and let you get done with this last year of school, while I decide the best way to go about things.”

  He brushed a wisp of hair from my face and rubbed my shoulders, kneading his fingers deep into my muscles.

  My stomach tightened, and my mouth went dry. I didn’t know how to answer him. He could give me a place in his law firm, but I still wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted. “Sure.” I inhaled sharply, surprising myself. “I would love to be your girlfriend.”

  The minute I said the words, Tate’s face flashed in my mind, and for a brief second, I captured a small whiff of his shaving cream. I put my hand out, trying to catch the scent, bringing it in close to my nose, but it was gone just as fast as it had come.

  Aaron slid in closer, taking me in his arms. His head bent to my chest. “Sophia, you’ve made me so happy. When we were younger, and you would come over to play with Mandy, I used to dream you were my girlfriend. But I knew I couldn’t ask you out. You were way too young, and I knew your parents would never have agreed to it. But, now…now I have you all to myself, and I’m never letting you go.”

  He nuzzled his face down deeper and kissed my neck. His lips brushed down to skim the dip in my chest, bringing heat to the surface of my skin.

  We stayed parked for well over an hour, kissing and caressing, until my mouth was tired and cheeks sore from his darkened face shadow.

  * * *

  That night, after I had slipped into bed, I lay still, thinking, questioning whether I was doing the right thing. Tate’s face flashed, popping up in my mind when I thought of my future with Aaron. My head said to do it—begin my future—but my heart still needed Tate. “You’re not letting me get over you very easily, Tate Forester.” I whispered into the air. “If you want me to be with Aaron, then leave me be. Quit forcing yourself in every time I’m with him. It’s over and done, you got that?”

  Chapter 23

  A week later, on Friday afternoon, a white delivery van with the words Charleston Professional Pet Movers etched across the side in black letters pulled up in front of the house. My heart pattered fast and my stomach welled up with nerves—a piece of Tate was coming home.

  School started on Monday, so the special delivery came just in time. Aaron had gone back to Denver to tend to his business. No word yet from Lidia, which relieved some tension. I needed a little reprieve before school started, but Aaron made sure to check in on me every chance he got with either phone calls or texts.

  I pressed my hands to my stomach, glad that Mom would be at the hospital all afternoon. The surprise was yet to come about the newest addition that would be joining the family. Before going outside, I brought my knuckle to my mouth, biting it, hoping Bob approved.

  The rail-thin man in the blue uniform, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, hopped out of the van, whistling a tune as he went around to the back. He opened up the cargo doors and hoisted out an oversized dog kennel, a white terry-cloth towel thrown over the top. A loud grunt bellowed from his throat when he set it on the ground. “Hello there, ma’am, are you…let’s see.” He unfolded a sheet of paper and scanned it, whistling again. “Are you Sophia Bandell?”

  “Yep, that’s me, you must have my dog.” I bent over and peeked inside the cage, but I couldn’t see her. When I peered in further, she was crouching in the back of the cage, scared and timid. She whined, and her tail vibrated with anticipation when she saw me. “Hi, girl, it’s me. You’ve come to your new home. Don’t worry, you’re going to love it here.”

  “Good, must’ta got the right place then. She had a long ride here from Charleston, and I’m sure she’s eager to get out.” He handed me a pen and clipboard. “Sign here for me, please.”

  He bent down to unlock the kennel while I signed my name by the X at the bottom of the page. A half-empty water bottle, the kind you use for gerbils, hung on the side and an empty dog-food bo
wl sat on the wire floor. She must be starving. “Come on, Symphony.” I patted my thigh when he opened the door.

  She stepped out and looked around. Then, her entire body wiggled and shook as if she had just enjoyed a dip in the lake and was shaking off the water. Restless to get out and stretch her legs, she trotted around the driveway, sniffing and wagging.

  “Okay, looks like we’re all squared away, ma’am.” He lifted the cage back into the van and slammed the cargo doors. “She sure looks happy to see you. You have a good day, and enjoy your dog.”

  “Oh, I will.” I nodded, my gaze on Symphony as she roamed around, making friends with her new surroundings. “You don’t know how much this dog means to me.” My voice cracked. No one knew what she symbolized when she stepped out of that cage—how a whole new influx of memories came flooding back just by seeing her. To me, Symphony was Tate and always would be. Having her meant I still had a piece of him that I could physically carry with me, and that was everything to me.

  My mind still drifted on Tate’s memory when the driver slammed his door and drove off, leaving a cloud of dust swirling in his wake. I called Symphony up to the gate and turned the latch. Bob’s doghouse sat hidden in a grove of trees off to the south side of the house, so with him being a little hard of hearing, he hadn’t heard all of the commotion.

  As soon as the metal latch let out a small squeak, he plowed his way out of his house, his tongue hanging low, tail beating back and forth, and his backside coming crookedly around to the front, looking like he was going to pass himself up. It took him a second to see Symphony, but when he did he stopped in his tracks, fur raising on his back, a growl rumbling deep in his throat.

  “Calm down now, Bob, it’s only me.” I let him approach Symphony cautiously, so he would know she wouldn’t hurt him. “I brought a friend for you.” Bob didn’t have a mean bone in his body, but he’d been the only dog here for years and had gotten a little territorial. They sniffed each other, and soon both of their tails moved in harmony.