by Alexia Purdy
“Let’s rip the Band-Aid off already,” I muttered, shaking my head and rubbing my face before swiping my wallet off the coffee table and hopping to my feet. I was going to walk despite the danger.
The roads were full of kids playing with balls and hula-hoops, giggling as their parents barbequed and hollered at them to stay out of the road. Summer season was winding down as autumn approached, but it was busy nonetheless, and a decent number of the cabins and rental trailers were still occupied. I loved the activity. It was the noises filling the air, full of excitement, that made this place feel so alive during the summer, fall, and spring. I was dreading the silence of the cool winter when there were only locals, maintenance crews, and the occasional off-season stragglers who got together in small groups to enjoy the chill of winter. But for me, it got far too quiet.
Curving up past Ms. Ansley’s and Jennifer’s cabins, I resisted the urge to move my eyes off the path ahead to peek over once more at the familiar outlines of a time past. The pull to dive back into my mind and think about Jenni always got the best of me. I caved and whipped my eyes back toward her cabin. To my surprise, a small moving truck stood in front of it with its back open and several chairs and boxes stacked across the lawn.
Halting in my steps, my jaw dropped open. Someone had moved into the Heisen’s cabin? Had it been sold? It was pretty late in the season for someone to rent it out for a couple weeks, but that did happen sometimes. Peering around, I didn’t see anyone. Maybe they were inside organizing stuff. Maybe… maybe? I couldn’t help it; my curiosity won over as I switched paths and walked closer. I had to get more information about the new visitor or owner, or I’d never be able to settle. I could offer to help move their things off the truck. Moving always sucked, so hey, who would say no?
Yet I hesitated. Who’d accept help from a perfect stranger? I debated waltzing up to the cabin and offering my services as a pack mule, but something held me back. Or someone. The possibility that Jennifer could’ve returned was very probable. And if she had? What would I do? More importantly, what would I say?
I shook off the thoughts restraining me and straightened, inhaling a deep breath as I strolled up toward the cabin, determined to keep my wits about me. If she was there, so be it. What were words between old friends? Old lovers? First loves? I groaned, shoving all thoughts from my head. They ran wild in every direction if I let them, and I was determined to not let it overtake my confidence.
I heard rustling inside the cabin as I approached the steps. Pausing, I listened to see if I could decipher if it was a man, woman, or multiple persons. Not hearing anything further, I decided to just bite the bullet.
“Hello?” I called out.
“Ow!” A cry echoed out from inside the cabin, and I cringed, hoping I hadn’t startled whoever was inside.
“Sorry! Um… are you all right?”
“Quick! Would you come in and help me with this?”
“Sure.” I opened the screen door and peeked inside, finding a woman with long blonde hair holding a large framed painting and about to lose it to the ground. I sprinted over and grabbed ahold of it.
“Got it. You can let go now.”
She stepped back as I hoisted it up onto the nail she’d tapped into the wall. Hooking it onto the wire, I laid it softly against the wood panels, testing the strength of the nail. Straightening it out, I smiled at the painting. It was one of my favorites, but I couldn’t recall the artist. It wasn’t original, but it was a darn nice replica, worth something I’d bet.
“Wow, that’s quite a painting. Heavy.” I turned and choked on my words. Jennifer was standing right in front of me, scrutinizing the painting as she scratched her chin. Finally, she swung her eyes toward me, giving me an appreciative look before glancing back toward the painting.
“Do you think it’s crooked?” she asked, still looking puzzled over the massive painting.
Had she not recognized me? I was dumbfounded as I stuttered. “Um, well….” I turned toward the painting and stepped back, studying the edges more thoroughly. “It is leaning a bit more to the right. One sec.” I reached up and slowly tugged at one edge, adjusting it. Backing up to observe it, I nodded. “Looks good!”
She sighed happily and dropped her arm out in my direction. “Thank you so much. You have impeccable timing. The painting and I almost ate it. That thing is heavier than I thought. You should’ve seen me struggling to bring it inside. My mother gave me the painting when I said—”
“It reminded you of heaven,” I finished. She fell silent as she stared at me, astonished.
“How did you know that?” I reached out to shake her hand and threw her my million-dollar smile. If she didn’t recognize my dimples, I’d have to formally remind her who I was. She absentmindedly took my hand, bobbing it up and down as she studied my face.
Her eyes danced over me, scrutinizing each facet, line, and dimple. Recognition filled her eyes, but she continued to blink at me as though trying to blink away an apparition. I felt the same way as I took in her matured features. Gone was the soft baby fat of the cheeks surrounding her eyes. Now chiseled cheekbones, rose petal lips, and soft peachy skin betraying her youth entranced me. I could stare at her all day and admire every bit of the woman she’d become. Her blonde hair lay in straight locks over her shoulders and was now darker than the lighter shade it had been in her teens.
“Have we met?” She let go of my hand, stepping away as she wrinkled her eyebrows, flicking her eyes from one side of my face to the other. Was that fear, hate, or just flat out confusion swimming in her eyes? It certainly wasn’t love, nor was it anywhere near affection gleaming in her darkening blue eyes, the same color of a storm right before it whips the beach sand into your face as the sky thunders. My stomach dropped to my knees as her face drained of its previous warmth.
Oh, god, I thought. I hope she remembers me. Please let her remember.
Chapter Two
Lucas
“Lucas… but how?”
“Yes, it’s me. I thought you’d recognize me, but I might’ve put on some pounds since you last saw me. And I have a tan. I spend a lot of time in the sun working on cars.”
“You—you do look different. How did you know I was back?” She talked fast as her hands flitted through the air. She never did hide her nervousness that well.
“I—I work here. I mean at the resort. Car maintenance mainly. I never really left.”
“You didn’t? My mother told me she tried to get hold of your family and that you’d moved away to who knew where. She said she never could find you guys again.”
I furrowed my brow. “Your mother said that? Why would she tell you that? I was here the whole time. You never called me after you left… why? I thought maybe you just didn’t want to have anything to do with me ever again.”
“My mother told me to not call you. That, and she said that she would break the news to your family herself so that I wouldn’t get yelled at by your mother or father. I gave her your number, and after she told me it was disconnected and she called the resort and they told her your family had left, I never tried to call again. I just figured you were gone for good.”
“But… why would you need to break the news to me? What news?”
It was her turn to pale. She pivoted on her feet and headed toward the kitchen. “I’m sorry, moving makes me really thirsty. I had a headache to start with anyway. I—I need some water. Would you like some? Excuse me.”
I heard her clank around in the kitchen as I stood in her living room, confused. She’d obviously gotten a lot done already; there were boxes everywhere. I wondered if anyone had helped her move some of them in or if she’d just stormed in with whatever she could carry before the urge to decorate hit her. I’d left Ms. Ansley about an hour before I went walking along the path. Jennifer was either super hyped to move her stuff or she’d had helped. I was betting on the latter.
“Um, are you all right?” I shook my thoughts out of my head and headed for the kitche
n to find her on the floor, her head between her knees and the glass of water sitting on the floor beside her. “Jen? What’s the matter?”
“I’m so sorry.” She rocked back and forth, sniffling. I could tell she was crying, but she didn’t want to look up to show me.
I peered around and found a box of tissues on the bar counter. Snatching it, I pulled a few tissues free and held them out to her. “Here. Jen, it’s okay. Whatever you want to tell me, it’s going to be fine. You can’t even believe how thrilled I am to see you. Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d meet you here again. Why’d you move back?”
She shook her head but took the tissues I gave her. Blowing her nose noisily, she wiped her face with the other tissue. “I had to move here. It’s all my family had left, and I inherited it. My father gambled away everything else right before he and my mother died in a car wreck… about a few months ago. It was a mess. I had so many lawyers at my doorstep. After selling everything, this is all we had left after their deaths. I had to sell my own house to pay off some of the debt. So here I am. I decided I’d live here for a few months until I get my next few royalty checks and then get back to the city and rent this out for the summer season to make some money. No one will want to live here in the winter, and the utilities are cheap, so I figured I could save money by just living here for a few months.”
Her rambling stopped as she hiccupped. I reached over to grab her glass of water and held it out for her. She took it and gulped down large swallows of water, dribbling some down her chin. She wiped it off and groaned.
“Sorry. I just never expected to find you here.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry. I should’ve waited until you were more settled to introduce myself. I just couldn’t help myself when I saw a moving truck sitting out front. I had to know who was moving into your cabin. Just knowing it could possibly be you had me on edge.”
“It’s good to see you, Lucas. I’m a mess. Sorry, been driving all day. I sold my car so driving up here would be easy. Just drove the rental truck.”
“I hear ya. If you need to run any errands, let me know. My truck might be old, but it’s faithful.”
She smiled and peered at me with her wide, dark blue eyes. They reminded me of that summer so long ago when I’d kissed her and she’d been all mine. My insides twisted as the memory hit me like a freight train. If only she felt the same way. Old emotions slid through me as though time had not kept us apart.
“Thanks. That’s very kind of you. I just need to empty my truck and return it to the rental place before eight tonight. Not even sure where the rental company is here in town.”
“I can follow you there and drive you back. It’s not far. But it’s already six-thirty; you might need help unloading the rest of your stuff if you’re to get it back on time.”
She nodded, staring off into space, lost in her thoughts. “Okay,” she muttered. “Thank you, Lucas. I really could use some help. Not sure what I was thinking doing this all alone. Driving across the country and all. I’m exhausted.”
“Hey, you know what? What if I help you out? I can take the truck down there myself while you rest. It’s not far, and I’m used to walking all over this town. I’ll even grab some dinner for us on the way back. I mean, if that’s okay with you.”
“Really?” She wrinkled her nose at me. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Trust me, T.L. Wong’s Chinese food is to die for.”
“You’re like a guardian angel. You’d really do all that for me?”
“You bet. Just make sure you tell me everything you’ve been doing since we last saw each other. I’d love to catch up.”
She smiled, and her face lit up with it, something I didn’t even know I wished to see. It was as though the years hadn’t passed us by. It felt natural to stand there before her, help her back up to her feet, and console her. Memories flooded my head as we made our way out front again and began the arduous task of tugging out the heavier boxes and pieces of furniture she’d tucked into the moving truck.
Each one held a piece of the life she’d had without me, and I was determined to be there while she unpacked each one and revealed the bits of herself I’d missed along the way. I was hoping she felt the same way about me, but in contrast, there were niches of darkness I wasn’t sure I’d be able to reveal to Jennifer anytime soon, or maybe ever. Hopefully we could take this slowly and become friends once more. It was more than I could ever ask for.
Chapter Three
Jennifer
I couldn’t sit still. Lucas had been at Happy Endings Resort this whole time? Why would my mother lie to me like that? The fact that I’d been so naïve and had believed her when she’d said he wasn’t there anymore made me want to throw a pillow across the room. God rest her soul, but I wished she was still alive to yell at her for her misplaced good intentions. She’d taken so much from us both. Lying had severed us for years afterward, I wondered what could have been had she done the decent thing and not lied.
Plopping down on the sofa, I coughed from the dust motes flying up from it. It had been left there for the renters, and I didn’t know how long it’d been since it’d been cleaned. I would have to get on that ASAP once I unpacked my vacuum. In the meantime, I had to wrap my head around the very big possibility that Lucas was back in my life for good. At least, until I moved out of Happy Endings Resort and got back to the West Coast.
Would that happen any time soon? I groaned and sat up, surveying the room full of boxes. Luckily, I didn’t have a lot of stuff, but my entire world lay sprawled across the floor, homeless and unanchored. There was nothing left for me back in Los Angeles. My parents had died, and along with them, the secrets I wanted to unravel. My mother had purposely lied to keep me and Lucas apart. Maybe life would’ve become quite different if I’d tried to call Lucas instead of cowering in my own self-loathing and taking my mother’s word for it. I’d taken things at face value, and what had it cost me? My love for Lucas. In one fell swoop, it had disappeared. Foolish hearts rationalized anything, even breaking themselves in the process.
If I was going to stay there for a while and unpack everything, I was going to need some music. Plus, it was a great distraction from having to explain things to Lucas, right?
I groaned. How to tell Lucas everything? Would he take it well? And what if he didn’t and freaked out? What if he didn’t want anything else to do with me ever again? Would I be strong enough to lose him again, twice in my lifetime? God, I hoped I would be. The first time darn near killed me from the heartbreak. That and what happened afterward.
If he didn’t know anything, he’d have no reason to hate me, would he? Telling him about my mother lying to me, and me believing her, was bad enough. If I could keep my mouth shut, it’d all be as though nothing had happened, right?
“Hello? I’m back.” Lucas’s voice echoed into the room, and I smiled happily to myself, my heart racing as the thought of seeing him again raised my spirits several notches.
“Come in,” I called out, glad he had manners enough to knock each time he returned. I wasn’t sure how the clientele in late summer at the resort ran. I’d hoped to be left alone in my own desolation, but some company was nice now that I thought about it.
“Got us some dinner. That Chinese I was talking about.” He held up a sack with folded boxes of food inside.
I nodded. “Awesome. Put it on the kitchen table.”
He headed over to the table and took one look at the thick layer of dust on it before he wrinkled his nose. He paused and entered the kitchen, snatched a clean cloth off a stack under the sink, wet it under the faucet, and then headed over to wipe off the table.
I turned back to my task, embarrassed at the state of the place, but I shook it off. Couldn’t be helped. The place had sat empty for a few weeks once I’d decided to move.
“Okay, it’s ready!” he called out after a few minutes.
“Just a sec,” I muttered as I finally clicked on the stereo and stuck in an
old compilation CD of different artists I liked. “Just got this working.” The music flowed from the speakers, filling the room with music that soothed my soul like nothing else. I sighed, smiling like an idiot in love.
“Ah, nice. Etta James. That’s great mood music.”
I chuckled as I took a seat across from him. “I need to relax. This relaxes me.”
He nodded pensively and pushed the boxes my way. “I hear you. Grab what you want. I got Chicken Chow Mein, Kung Pao, General Tso’s Chicken and steamed rice.”
“You remember what I like?” I sat, confounded. “Last time we had Chinese together, this was what we had.”
“How could I forget? Buffet style, of course.” He winked.
I peered up into his sparkling brown eyes while scooping some food onto a plate. His medium brown hair hung over his eyes as he watched me. I looked away and dumped some rice next to the chicken. Avoiding his intense gaze, I fought the smile from the edges of my mouth. I liked it more than I’d thought I would. If only my own guilt would dissipate so I wouldn’t feel so self-conscious about my shortcomings.
I knew I should tell him myself what really happened when I moved away all those years ago. Would it make him jump to his feet and run out the door? Maybe. Perhaps that was for the best. Or not. Good Lord, I was running in circles, and he didn’t even know how bad it was. Maybe some secrets were worth holding deep inside, buried and taken to the grave.
“You okay?” Lucas asked.
I nodded, swallowing a ball of food down my dried throat. Coughing, I choked and tried my best to not spit out my food. Lucas slid a glass of water my way, and I gulped it down, feeling my eyes watering.
“You seem kind of uptight, Jen. I hope I don’t make you feel uncomfortable. If I do, I can leave.” Lucas appeared serious as he watched me recover. He even subconsciously reached out to pat me on my back, circling his fingers across the material covering my skin, causing gooseflesh to flare across it, just like that day so long ago.