****
Saturday morning, Julia was on her way to check out the little rental house she’d found. Ellen, Abby and Jae were piled in her SUV, laughing and talking. Smiling, Julia glanced at them and said, “Thanks, girls, for coming with me. If this house is as charming on the inside as it is from the outside, you’ll love it!” Pulling up in the driveway, there was a man probably a couple years older than them, standing by a red truck. Waving, she got out and said, “Hi! You must be Mr. Thompson. I’m Julia. I spoke to you on the phone the other day. These are my friends.” Pointing to each one, she introduced them.
He said, “Call me Bryan. Ladies, I won’t try to sell ya the good points of the house. I’ll just let it speak for itself. Go on in and look around. I’ve already unlocked it and I’ll stay out here if you have any questions.”
Thanking him, Julia went in, with the others following behind. Once inside, they discovered it had three bedrooms and two baths. The living room was small and cozy, while the kitchen was spacious. There was also a door leading outside from the kitchen and there they found a patio, with plenty of room for guests, barbecues, or just relaxing. Julia could already picture herself sitting out there and staring at the amazing view the patio afforded. She turned to her friends and said, “Well ladies, what do you all think? Do you love this place as much as I do?”
Ellen looked at the others, and they all seemed to have come to an agreement, “We love it. Personally, I think it suits you and I just so happen to know an interior designer who would love to decorate this place for ya!”
Julia laughed, “Come on. Let’s go see a man about renting a house!”
Stepping out, she saw Bryan leaning against the front of his truck. When he heard them come out, he straightened and asked, “Do you have any questions?”
“Yes! Where do I sign?” she inquired.
He laughed, saying, “I
brought a rental agreement with me. If you ladies want to, we can go up to Lee’s, look it over and talk about any
concerns or questions you might have.”
Julia looked at her friends and they nodded. She smiled at Bryan, “Sounds great. We’ll meet you there!” The four of them got in her car and headed toward the diner.
~Chapter 3~
When Julia and the girls reached the diner, they noticed how packed the parking lot was. Hoping there was an empty booth; they went on in and decided to wait for Bryan in there. Greeting several people as they walked in, they finally found an unoccupied booth in the back corner. Julia sat where she could see the door, whereas Ellen, Abby and Jae scooted into the opposite bench. Laughing, she said, “Well now, I just feel alone over here.”
Giggling, Abby said, “You’re the one renting the house, so you need to sit over by him when he gets here. We’re just innocent bystanders.”
Shaking her head, Julia looked at Abby, “You’ve never been an innocent bystander! Whenever we used to get into trouble, you were usually the one leading the pack!” Ellen and Jae enthusiastically agreed.
Abby pulled out the menu, and said, “Fine then. I’ll just sit here and shut my trap. Y’all just talk amongst yourselves.”
Julia laughed, “Uh-oh, she’s brought her country twang out. We better be careful.” Seeing Bryan walk in, she waved to get his attention and scooted over to give him room to sit.
After sitting, he asked, “Do you want to order lunch first? Then while we eat, we can talk about the house, and then we can go over the contract.”
“That’s fine by me,” she glanced across from her, and her three friends nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, Julia noticed how quiet the diner had become. She looked up to see what was causing the silence, and thought she was going to pass out. Breathlessly, she whispered, “Mark.” He looked awful, standing on crutches by the front door, and staring right at her. She realized then that everyone was looking back and forth from her to him. Great, she thought, our first time seeing each other after four years has to be in this crowded diner, with the entire town here. That was the good and bad about living in a small town. Everyone knew everything about you, whether you wanted them to or not.
Feeling her hand being engulfed by three others, she looked up and saw three sets of eyes looking at her in concern. Ellen said, “It’ll be okay. If he wants to talk, let him come to you.”
Nodding, Julia said, “Yes, I know you’re right, but I can’t have that conversation here.” Then, she became aware of Ellen filling Bryan in briefly about the situation.
He said, “Oh, well I’m just gonna get out of here, and get my order to go. You have my number, so whenever you get ready to go over the contract, just give me a call.” With that, he got up and left their booth.
Abby said, “Come on. Let’s cancel our order, and go back to Ellen’s house. We can tell Mark to follow us there if he wants to talk.”
They threw some bills on the table, and Jae yelled at Rosie, the waitress, “Cancel our order.” Getting up, they all surrounded Julia as they made their way outside. As they passed by Mark, Julia heard one of them say, “If you wanna talk to her, you’re gonna be a man and follow us and not make a spectacle here.”
Julia seemed to be in a fog, not really sure who said what, or of anything that was going on. The next thing she knew, they were pulling up in Ellen’s driveway. She was quickly ushered in the house, and one of them said, “Go in the office. I’ll send him in there. We’ll be out in the living room if you need us.”
****
Mark was jealous. There was no other word for it. When he’d seen Julia in that diner sitting next to a man he’d never seen before, Mark had wanted to scream at him and ask him why he was sitting next to his wife. He knew he had told Greg he hoped she had moved on, but he realized now that he hadn’t really meant it. She was still his wife, unless of course she had found some way of divorcing him without letting him know. Or she could have had him declared dead. With the way he left, and the occupation he was in, he very well could have been, for all she knew. It still hurt though, to think that she had found someone else.
He had never imagined he’d run into her like that, but he should’ve thought about all the possibilities. Her friends must hate him as much as she did. He couldn’t blame any of them. He hated himself for the way he had treated her, but he couldn’t go back and change the past. He could only make the present count and hope she had a place for him in her future, if it wasn’t too late.
After he parked his jeep, he sat there a moment and watched them go in. He took a deep breath, and said to himself, “Well buddy, it’s now or never. Get your wife back!” He slowly made his way up to the door and rang the bell. Abby answered the door, with fire in her eyes. Sighing inwardly, he thought, don’t ever cross a redhead. Smiling at her, he said, “Hi Abigail. It’s good to see you! Have you lost weight? You look great!”
Abby crossed her arms and snapped, “Don’t flatter me. I don’t wanna talk to you, I don’t like you, and if you weren’t my best friend’s husband, I would give you a piece of my mind. But, push me and I might just do that anyway! She’s in the office, over there,” she pointed to a closed door off to the side.
He had barely crossed the threshold when she slammed the door behind him. Whew, he thought, at least I made it inside the door. He nodded and said, “Ladies,” as he passed Ellen and Jae. After seeing the looks in their eyes, he started dreading this next encounter more than he had dreaded seeing Big John each day. Taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer, he knocked on the office door and opened it. Mark had to catch his breath when he saw Julia standing across the room. She was even more breathtaking than he remembered. He shut the door and faced her again. “Hello, Julia. You look beautiful”
“Hello, Mark. You look….good.”
Laughing ruefully, he said, “You always were a bad liar. How’ve you been?”
“I’ve been good. How long have you been back in town?”
Glancing at his watch, he said, “About an hour.”
&n
bsp; “Oh,” she said and then turned to look out the window.
He took a few steps closer and quietly said, “I went to see you first, but I found out you didn’t still live in that little apartment.” When he didn’t get a reply, he went even closer and that’s when he heard her crying. Feeling like a heel, he crossed to her, dropped his crutches and wrapped his arms around her. Mark whispered in her ear, “I’m so sorry, Jules. I never meant to hurt you. After I left though, I just didn’t know how I could ever face you again, so I just stayed gone.”
She stepped out of his embrace and spun around, “You were gone for four years, Mark. I never even knew if you were dead or alive. How was I supposed to deal with not knowing if I’d ever see you again? You could’ve called. You should’ve called.”
Dropping his gaze to the floor, he said, “Jules, I know! There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by I haven’t regretted leaving. After so much time had passed, though, I figured you were better off without me.”
Gasping, she said, “Well if that’s how you feel, then why are you here now?”
He grabbed her hands and squeezed, “Because I finally realized life wasn’t worth living without you. I figured you had moved on with your life, but I still had to come back and try to make amends. Apologize. Be a man. Is it too late to be a part of your life, or have you already written me off?”
****
Julia was speechless. She didn’t know how to reply to that. Of course, she still loved him and always would. But, could she give him the chance to hurt her again? He figured I’d moved on with my life, she thought incredulously. How am I supposed to move on when half of my heart takes off and disappears? Turning to him, she says, “What am I supposed to say, Mark? Am I supposed to welcome you back with open arms, like you’d never left? I’m sorry if that’s what you expected, because it’s not going to happen. I think you should leave.”
Mark nodded, “I understand. I’ll be in town. If you decide you’re ready to talk, here’s my cell phone number.” He handed her a card, picked up his crutches and headed toward the door. Turning around just before he opened the door, he said, “You know, I never stopped thinking about you or loving you. I hope that you can forgive me someday, and I hope there’s a little piece of you that still loves me.” With that said, he turned around and went out the door.
Julia walked to the window, watched him get in his jeep and leave.
~Chapter 4~
An hour after Mark left, Julia was sitting in the living room with Ellen and Abby, talking. Jae had gotten called into work so she’d just left. Julia said, “I don’t know what to do.”
Ellen said, “You should divorce him and move on. He can’t expect you to take him back after all this time.”
Sighing, Julia started to reply when the doorbell rang. They all looked at each other, wondering who it could be, when her parents’ walked in, followed by her brother Matthew, his wife Karla and their two daughters, Mackenzie and Makayla. Janet, her mom, came straight to her and wrapped her arms around her. “You okay, honey? We came over as soon as we could. Have you talked to him?”
Not surprised that they found out before she told them, Julia returned the hug and answered, “I’m fine, Mom. There was no need for any of you to come over.”
Matt piped in, “Where is he staying? I wanna have a word or two with him.”
Smiling, Julia walked up to him and hugged him, “You’re going to do no such thing, big brother. This is between Mark and me.”
William, her dad, spoke up, “So did he tell you where he’s been these past four years?”
“No, I didn’t ask. We didn’t talk long. I was in shock after seeing him, so I told him to leave. I’ll call him after I have a chance to come to terms with him being back and get my thoughts in order.”
Her dad warned, “If he hurts you again, baby girl, his face and my fist are gonna have us a little meeting.”
“You’ll have to get in line, Dad,” retorted her brother.
Julia could understand why Matt seemed to be angrier at Mark than her parents’. He and Mark had become close friends. Although, she did understand, it didn’t mean that he had a right to beat up on Mark because of her. She could take care of herself. On the other hand, if her dad got it in his head to do something, there was no stopping him. She would have to warn Mark next time she talked to him that he needed to stay away from her dad for a while, unless of course he had a death wish.
Her mom, the compassionate one, said, “You men leave her alone.” Turning to Julia, she said, “Did he look healthy? Has he at least been taking care of himself?”
Ellen and Abby burst out laughing, and then Abby added, “Someone’s been taking care of him, and I don’t think it was a friend, either.” Then, as an aside, she said, “I wonder what the other guy looks like.”
Julia explained, “He was in pretty rough shape. I didn’t want to feel sorry for him, so I didn’t even bother asking if he was alright.” Whispering, she continued, “I wish I had, though.”
They talked for a while longer. Then, after Julia had reassured them for the hundredth time she was fine, they finally believed her and left.
****
Across town, in the only motel in town, Mark sat in his room staring at his cell phone, willing it to ring. He knew it was no use, but he still couldn’t seem to help himself. He regretted showing up in town like he did. He should’ve called ahead and at least warned her he was coming. But, then, she would’ve had time to find a way to avoid once she had think, she would want to talk to him. He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t.
him. He hoped
the chance to
Hearing a knock at the door, he wondered if she’d decided to come here instead of call. Smiling, he swung the door open and his smile quickly dropped when he saw the murderous look on her brother’s face.
After Matt took in Mark’s appearance, his mouth dropped open and said, “Turner. I know she said you looked rough, but that was an understatement.”
Mark chuckled humorlessly, “Yeah. How’s it goin’, Watson?”
“Well I came over here to beat you up, but looks like someone beat me to it. What happened to ya?”
“I was working undercover, and somehow they discovered I was a cop. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Clearing his throat, Matt said, “That stinks, but at least you lived to tell about it. Jules said she didn’t ask, so I will. Where have you been the past four years?”
“Working, near Nashville. I went there after I left here, and buried myself in the case load. I thought I was gonna die that last case though, and it made me realize just what was really important. I had to come back.”
“You had to come back, to do what? To apologize? Make amends? Get divorced? What did you come back for, Mark?” “I came back to see if Jules would ever forgive me and see if there is still a place in her life for her no-good husband.” “Four years, though, Mark? It took you four years to come to this conclusion? What is the matter with you?”
Hanging his head in defeat, Mark replied, “Yeah, I know. I’m stupid.”
Stepping closer, Matt looked him square in the eye and threatened, “If you hurt her again, I swear what those guys done to you will seem like small potatoes compared to what I’ll do to you. You understand me?”
“Perfectly, but you don’t have to worry. I don’t plan on hurting her. If she tells me to get out of her life, I will, no matter how much it hurts to.” “Good,” Matt said, as he left, slamming the door behind him.
****
Julia couldn’t wait any longer. About nine o’clock that night, she dialed the number Mark gave her. He answered on the first ring, “It’s me. Meet me at the lake, at our spot, tomorrow at noon. I’ll pack a picnic lunch and we’ll talk.” He agreed and she hung up.
Each summer, they used to go to the lake every weekend if he wasn’t working. They’d found a spot just outside of town. It always seemed to be their private little getaway. In all the years they’d gone
there, they had never been disturbed by anyone else, so she wondered if they were the only ones who knew about it.
She showered and went to bed, thinking about what she was going to say the next day. She had never been one to procrastinate, no matter how hard it was. However, right now, she wished she was because as she dozed off to sleep, she still didn’t have a clue of what she was going to say to Mark.
~Chapter 5~
The next morning, Mark got
to their spot an hour earlier than was scheduled. He had gotten up early and went to a florist in Knoxville and bought her a bunch of pink calla lilies, her favorite flower. Sitting there waiting, he was dreading this meeting. He wanted to see her, and knew they needed to talk, but he was terrified she was going to tell him to get lost. Leaning back against the headrest, he thought about what he was going to say to convince her to give him another chance. Sighing, he realized he couldn’t plan it. He had never been big on words, but he was certain of one thing. If he was going to get the message across of how serious he was, Mark knew he was gonna have to tell her what’s on his heart. Hearing a car pulling up, he glanced out the window and noticed the red SUV from the day before. Blowing out a deep breath, he opened his door and got out.
Mark went to her driver’s door and opened it for her. As soon as Julia looked at him, she exclaimed, “Oh! I forgot about the crutches. Maybe a picnic wasn’t a good idea.”
He brushed off her worries, and replied, “Don’t worry about it. This place is fine.”
Shrugging, she stepped out and said, “If you’re sure. I’ll get the basket, if you want to find a place where you’ll be comfortable.”
How could he make her understand that he didn’t care if he was in pain? As long as he got to spend this day with her, his stitches could bust open for all he was concerned. Sighing, he simply said, “Where we always used to sit is fine and I’ll get the basket.”
She looked at him, crossed her arms, and then said, “Fine! Suit yourself.”
He watched her walk off, and shut his eyes. Lord, help me, he prayed silently, help me get through this day. Help me to say the right words so she’ll know how sorry I am. Please keep her heart open so she’ll give me another chance. But, most of all, Lord, help her not kill me today. Thank you. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen. He opened his eyes and saw her staring at him. Grabbing the picnic basket, he made his way over to her, almost tripping a couple of times when his crutches got caught in the twigs.
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