by Ciara Knight
A horn sounded as a car drove past, breaking their connection. She released him, so he returned to the front of the building and retrieved the Historic Hall sign. He set it by the front window inside and closed the door to the outside world.
“I’m insane, aren’t I?” Anna walked to the window and looked out onto the street. “My imagination can see greatness here. It’s like a blank canvas, yet it would be dumb to open something like this here, in this area. The whole neighborhood is run down. Who would want to come over here to shop? The old factory up the street is creepy enough as it is.”
Liam stood behind her, feeling the warmth of her body, longing to touch her, but he kept his hands at his sides, not wanting to spook her. “If you wish it, you can make it happen, remember?”
Her phone buzzed in her purse and he held his breath, not wanting to lose her to her busy world, but she ignored it. He let out the breath and rubbed her upper arms. “It only takes one person to change a neighborhood. It happens in residential areas all the time. Those up-and-coming neighborhoods are the one I like to invest in the most. You open up shop here and I know other merchants will jump at the opportunity to be near campus. Think about it. The location is excellent. Trust me, I’ve been playing in real estate for a few years now. And the campus is growing, too. Perhaps we can find a developer to turn the old factory into loft apartments. Talk about a prime location then.”
Anna spun and he found her in his arms. She stood ridged for a moment, but then relaxed into him. “I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of adventure, Indiana.”
“Ha! Don’t go sharing that nickname with anyone at the university. I’ll never live that down.”
Anna’s chin lowered. “I guess I can try not to call you that.”
Liam pulled her closer. “Oh, you can call me that anytime you want. I like it. As long as you’re my next adventure.”
Anna broke free with a nervous giggle. “There you go working your charm on me again. I don’t think Rachel Vine would be too happy.”
“I made that date before I knew I had a chance with you. She doesn’t really care about me anyway. It was more of a political game for her. Women tend to date me only to get into the spotlight enough to be noticed by upper administration. I take them to an event, they schmooze, and then I move on and so do they.”
“Sounds sad,” Anna said, her voice soothing instead of judgmental.
“Honestly, it kept things clean. No one is hurt that way.”
“But no one moves forward that way either, not in love anyway. I mean if you believe in the whole HEA thing and all.”
“HEA?”
Anna picked up an old abandoned book and held her palm to the cover as if to read it without opening its pages. “Cynthia. She uses that term often. It means happily-ever-after.”
“Ah, I see.” Liam took the book from her hand and set it on the window box at the front. “And do you believe in HEA’s?”
Her shoulders moved, but she stopped them before they could raise into a shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen a real life HEA. Not until Mitchem and Cynthia. I guess she makes me believe it’s possible.”
Liam grabbed Anna’s hand then retrieved the bag of food. “Come on. It’s time to start believing again. We both could use some faith about now.”
Anna didn’t protest, not until they reached the top step to the second floor. The musty odor, dingy walls, and peeling wallpaper surprised him. He should have checked the upstairs before leading her up here. One of the warped floorboards had a hole big enough that he could see down to the first floor. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay. I guess I need to see what kind of damage is up here, too. It’s looking more like a tear down than a gut job.”
Liam guided her around the rotted board. “Don’t give up on her yet. I have a friend, Dalton. He’s a genius at restoring old buildings. Let me call him and get his opinion first.”
Anna nodded, but stopped in her tracks at a door. The door to her childhood bedroom.
“Do you want to go inside?” Liam asked.
Anna shook her head. “No, not yet.” She nudged him to continue until they reached the ladder to the roof.
“Let me crawl up first to make sure it’s safe.” He swiped the cob webs to the side. A large spider skittered across the ceiling and he stumbled back on the ladder.
“Problem, Indiana? Oh wait, that was snakes, not spiders.”
“Hey, all handsome, adventurous professors have their weakness. Mine just happens to be spiders.”
“Do you want me to go up first?”
“And lose my man card? Not happening.”
Her giggle rose up from below him, making the obstacle ahead less challenging. She’d always made things right. With a hard shove, he managed to open the trap door to reveal a cloudless night sky, full of stars. Perfect.
She handed him the bag and he put it on the roof then crawled out onto his childhood hangout, slushy snow crunching under his feet. He took Anna’s arm and helped her through the hole onto the roof by his side.
“I remember that being easier,” she said.
He held his hands out to indicate his wide shoulders. “You? I was half the size I am now.”
“I liked you then, but you’re even better looking now.” She made her way over the abandoned debris of old wooden crates and broken outdoor furniture to the edge. “It’s just how I remembered it, except the street is empty now. The sound of the factory is gone, and no one's standing below us talking. When my mom ran Historic Hall, it was always so full of life around here.”
He joined her at the edge and looked over at the factory. It was small in comparison to modern ones. “I still think that would make a perfect loft-style apartment complex.”
“I’m well off, but not sure I’m that well off.” Anna sighed. “Can we just enjoy this moment and not think about the past or the future for a few minutes? I left my purse on the second floor, just so I didn’t have to hear my phone go off. I’ll deal with the China issue when I get home.”
“Sounds perfect to me.” Liam snagged the bag and spread out the blanket. When he popped the wine cork, the sound echoed through the night air.
Anna settled on the blanket at his side and looked up at the stars. “Do you remember our wishing game?”
“Remember it? I still do it.” He handed her a plastic cup of Chardonnay then poured one for himself.
“Okay, then you start.”
Liam settled by Anna’s side and looked for the dimmest star in the sky. “Okay, my first wish is for world peace.”
Anna smacked his arm. “Lame. Find a brighter star and make a real wish.”
“I forgot how bossy you can be. Don’t get me wrong, I like it. No games, just directness. It’s…refreshing. Okay, that one.” He pointed to the star that twinkled brightest in the sky. “I wish for Andrew to make a full recovery.”
Anna took a sip of her wine. “You have to say it all, or it doesn’t count, remember?”
“Okay, okay. In all my wishes, in all my years, in all my dreams , in all my life, I wish for Andrew to fully recover and regain the use of his hand. Now you.” Liam took a sip of his own wine, enjoying the subtle fruit flavors.
Anna raised her glass to the sky. “In all my wishes, in all my years, in all my dreams, in all my life, I wish for a future that is full and bright.”
Liam set his glass to the side and snuggled up next to her, pulling the edge of the blanket around her shouders. “You were always so much better at this than I was.”
She set her cup aside as well and snuggled into him. The connection of their skin awakened his heart and body. He hadn’t realized until that moment how dead he’d been inside.
“I had lots of practice. The month before we left, I sat up here every night, wishing on all the stars I could see.” She pointed to a line of stars. “And on that line, Orion’s belt. I thought if I wished on three at once it might come true. I wished to return here and raise my own fami
ly someday.”
He hugged her to him, holding her arms at her side so she couldn’t hit him. “It’s not too late. You’re not that old, you know.”
She squirmed, but he held tight. “And you’re getting too old to be the playboy of Riverbend. I think it’s time for you to retire that title to a new graduate.”
A shooting star bolted across the sky. “Quick! Make a wish.”
Anna slid an arm free and held his cheek, facing him. “I don’t have to.”
He dared to move closer, to hope she’d return his affection. His heart pounded with adrenaline and his breath quickened. No woman ever turned him around or flipped him upside down like she did. “Anna.”
“Shh.” She gently pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. A shiver of excitement vibrated from the top of his head to his toes. He held onto her for dear life, hoping she’d never pull away, never leave him again.
“Anna, promise you’ll stay,” he whispered.
A long silence rent the air with indecision. He released her and she slid away, only a few inches, but there might as well have been a valley of broken dreams and wishes between them.
Chapter Eleven
To Anna’s relief, her inbox was down to fifty unread emails from a hundred and fifty. She closed her laptop and took her last sip of morning coffee. She’d put out the fire with the China factory, another from two celebrities searching for award ceremony gowns, and a socialite waiting for her gala gown.
The excitement she once felt from the sales and sense of accomplishment for her company had faded over the last several months. Perhaps it was from watching Cynthia with Mitchem, or spending more time in Riverbend, or her biological clock ticking.
Her phone rang and Cynthia’s picture appeared. “Hello?”
“Hi, there. Sorry I couldn’t talk earlier. Andrew was giving the nurses grief about getting a sponge bath. Mitchem tried to tell him that someday he’d beg for their attention, but Andrew was having none of it,” Cynthia said, the lightness returning to her voice. “I can’t believe how well he’s doing. If it were me, I’d still be cradling my arm crying.”
“No, you wouldn’t. You’re the toughest girl I know. I wish I was more like you.” Anna heard the sadness in her own voice and cleared her throat. “I’m so glad he’s doing well. I was going to bring over whatever you needed. Just tell me what and I’m there.”
“You’re sweet, and I'll definitely take you up on that. I have to get my laptop from my office. Could you swing by and get it for me and bring it to the house this afternoon?”
“The house?” Anna was shocked Cynthia would leave Andrew’s side for any reason.
“Yes, Andrew’s being released this evening. There’s not really any reason he needs to stay since he can recover at home just the same, and having him at home will reduce his risk of infection. We’d planned on postponing the wedding, since we weren’t sure how long it will take him to recover, but the doctor assures us that he’s doing fantastic. He’ll need to follow-up tomorrow, though. We’ll be seeing lots of doctors this week, but Andrew insists that we’re not allowed to cancel the wedding.”
“Listen, I’ll do whatever you need, so don’t stress about it.”
Cynthia sighed. “You know what’s funny about all this? I’m not the least bit worried about the wedding. I could marry Mitchem in front of the clock tower in jeans and still be happy because after the ceremony, I’ll have my family.”
Anna’s chest tightened. “That’s great.”
“Okay, spill it, girl. What’s up?” Cynthia asked.
Anna stood and paced her small bedroom, eyeing all the boxes still stacked in the corner that she hadn’t unpacked since she moved her non-essentials to her house a few years ago. Always ready to move again, to find the next adventure. “I’m afraid I’ve lost my desire for adventure.”
“You?” Cynthia laughed. “I think you’re scared of the next adventure for the first time in your life, so you’re avoiding it. You want to stay here with Liam. I know you do. Did you tell him how you felt?”
Anna grasped her star charm, around her neck every day since the day she dug it out of her jewelry box. “I told him I wanted to try, but then I couldn’t commit. I mean, how do I stay here when I’ve worked so hard to build a fashion business? What am I supposed to do? Give that all up to open some small shop in Riverbend? Don’t get me wrong, I love the people here, but will I be happy?”
“Or will you run away at the first sign of trouble? Anna, you’re not your mother.”
Anna collapsed on the edge of her bed. “Aren’t I? Haven’t I been running all this time, just like she did? Honestly, I’m not even sure why she left Riverbend. I have flashes of memories, but I still don’t know. I tried to ask, but she made an excuse and hung up on me.”
Cynthia covered the phone and mumbled something on the other end.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. You don’t have time for my drama. You need to go concentrate on that new family of yours.”
“I always have time for you,” Cynthia scolded. “Now, you listen to me. You need to face the truth. Figure out how to do that, or you’ll never move forward in your life. I’ve watched you hover in this holding pattern for far too long. Ask yourself why you keep returning to Riverbend. Is it because you have unfinished business here? Because you want to know the truth about why you left? Or is it because you still love Liam? When you figure that out, you’ll know what to do. And, hon? It’s time to figure it out.”
Anna didn’t know what to say. Did she really just want to know why her mother left? Was that what had been eating her up all these years? Or was it her love for Liam? “I don’t know how, but I know you’re right. I think I’m going to return to Historic Hall. It’s the only place I’ll find my answers.”
“Good. Go. And fill me in after.”
Anna nodded then smiled, realizing Cynthia couldn’t see her. “I’ll fill you in when I bring your laptop to you. And Cynthia?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for being such an amazing friend. You’ve always been there for me.”
“You’re welcome. And you do the same for me, you know.”
She hung up the phone then dialed her mother on the way to her car, knowing she wouldn’t answer, but still Anna had to try. By the time she reached Historic Hall, her mother returned her call.
“Hi, honey. You headed out to China yet?”
“No, Mom. I’m staying in Riverbend for Cynthia’s wedding, remember?”
There was a pause, that moment when she knew her mother debated about changing the subject or hanging up. “Oh, yes. How is Mitchem’s son?”
“He’s doing well. We don’t know if he’ll be able to play the violin again, but the doctor is hopeful.”
“That’s great, honey. Where are you headed now? I can hear the car in the background.”
“I'm headed to Historic Hall.”
Silence.
“Mom?”
Silence.
“Tell me what happened. Tell me why we left,” Anna pleaded.
“You need to listen to me,” her mother finally answered, her voice barely above a whisper. “You need to stay away from there. Stay away from Liam. Stay away from his uncle, and most of all, get out of Riverbend.”
The phone went dead. Anna wanted to reach through the phone and shake her mother until she told her the truth, but all that would do was send her mother into a comatose state again. Anna had lived it for so long, she had no desire to revisit it. She loved her mother, and she knew her mother had tried, but something dark remained inside her mother after they left Riverbend.
Anna pulled into a parking space out front of the crumbling building and marched into her former home. There had to be something, anything, to explain what happened. Of course, if Cathy West didn’t know, who would?
Anna climbed the stairs to her old bedroom. She’d been reluctant to open the door the night before, but now she turned the knob and pushed it open without a second thought. Som
e of her furniture still remained. The upstairs looked different than it had last night, the gray light of morning revealing that it hadn’t really been altered at all. A small field mouse scurried across the room and disappeared through a hole. This place really did need to be torn down. No imagination, dreams, or wishes could build this place back up to its former glory.
She abandoned her old room and found her way to her mother’s. It looked like the day they’d moved, untouched. They had only packed up what they could carry that night, leaving everything else behind like they were fleeing the police.
With a tentative step, she entered and stood in the center of the room. “Mom, what are you hiding? What has haunted you all these years?”
A scratching in the ceiling made her skin crawl, but she didn’t run, not from the critters and not from the truth. Pacing the floor, she looked under the old bed, but found only packing paper and some dead bugs.
With a deep breath for courage, she opened the closet door and jumped back, expecting some maniac or mutant bug to fly out.
Nothing.
“This is crazy,” she mumbled under her breath. What did I expect to find? A diary confessing the past? A newspaper with some major headline? “This is stupid.” She kicked the closet door shut.
Thump!
She jumped and skidded toward the fireplace. Ash plumbed. Coughing and blinking back tears, she waved the cloud of ash away and spotted a piece of plaster beneath the grate amongst some half-burned chunks of wood and something else…papers.
Still waving the dust from her eyes with one hand, she knelt and pushed the chunks of wood away, uncovering the chard papers.
Her mother must have burned them the night they left. She remembered the tears in her mother’s eyes and the smell of burned paper. When she asked what was going on, her mother only ushered her from the room.
Anna pulled them carefully from their tomb and took them to the center of the room where the light was better. Pealing them apart, she recognized her mother’s handwriting. Most of the ink was smeared, but she made out a few words.