“That is usually the case.”
I took in a deep breath and told him the entire story. I left out nothing, down to seeing Dr. Garrison in the restaurant that day.
“So are you really considering moving to Atlanta?”
I sighed and sat up on the bed. “Dad, I would be a fool not to at least consider it.”
“Considering it is one thing, running to something to escape something else is an entirely different story.”
“You think I’m running?”
“Don’t you?” He was always good at making me look deep inside myself.
“I just want what’s best for Peyton.”
“Of course you do, but what if what’s best for her is to be surrounded by people who love and adore her?” I had told him about the amazing schools here and the chance of a lifetime to go to an Ivy League school. “Funny you say it like that, Natalie. I seem to recall a certain young girl who attended public school, graduated from that public school, and got her master’s from Cornell.” He had me there. “Furthermore, she worked so hard to get that degree, even with a small baby to care for.” He was right, I had worked hard. I had even sworn to myself I wouldn’t let another man come between me and my dreams.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Anytime, little girl, anytime.”
I’d give Evan a brownie point for being punctual. At exactly six on the dot, he was knocking on my door. “Don’t you look exquisite?” His eyes roamed up and down my jean-clad body.
“Thank you, Evan. Are we ready to go?” I had my jacket and purse in hand, no need to give him a reason to come into my room.
“After you, Ms. Reid.”
Evan tried to place his hand on my lower back, so I moved a bit to the left, adding space between us. Regardless of my decision to move to Atlanta or not, I wasn’t about to get involved with anyone, no matter how charming and good-looking they were.
Evan drove a Range Rover, it was all black and I doubted there was a single speck of dust to be found on it. He drove with his left hand on the steering wheel, only his wrist touching as he let his hand hang free. My father would have had his ass if he saw him driving that way with me in the car. We pulled on to a long street that had restaurants on each side. “Crain's Inn” was printed on the sign that hung over the door we were slowly walking toward.
“Crain's Inn has been around since my father was a boy. They have the best food in here.” As I listened to him, all I could think about was how Crain was Grant’s sir name. Would I ever escape him? Once inside the door, I noticed a line of people waiting to be seated. The restaurant was packed, yet Evan pushed his way to the front of the hostess stand. “Virginia, my usual please.”
The skinny, red-headed girl glanced at him and then smiled. She gracefully picked up two menus and began to walk to the back of the overcrowded restaurant. No one stopped us or said hello, they just continued on with their conversations as if we didn’t matter. Funny how I had grown so used to the greetings of the townspeople.
“I’ll send Cindy over shortly,” Virginia said as she set the menus on the table. Evan took his seat, never pulling out my chair for me. I became angry at myself as I was clearly comparing Evan to Grant. This would get me nowhere. They were two different men and I needed to accept who I was with tonight.
“Well, hello stranger,” a very beautiful brown-haired girl announced as I looked at the menu. “I haven’t seen you in here in a while.” Her hand was resting on Evan’s arm; he did nothing to remove it off is arm. It was crystal clear they had or were having a relationship. I felt like a voyeur sitting here watching them.
Evan ordered a bottle of white wine for the table. I never cared for white wine so I stopped the waitress. “I’ll have sweet iced tea, please.” The look she gave me was of disbelief. She turned to Evan who nodded his head at her. This did not sit well with me.
“So, Natalie, tell me something about yourself that isn’t on your resume.” He was leaning over the table resting on his forearms.
“Well, I like to read.” It was true and it wasn’t written anywhere on my resume.
“That’s a given. You’re a librarian, something that makes you special.” The way his lips dropped the word librarian was the equivalent of a slap to the face. I was very proud of what I did.
“Sorry, Mr. Tuckers that is all you’ll get from me. We are here so that you can sell this city to me, not braiding each other’s hair.”
“Oh, but I think the city sells itself. We have a vast variety of parks, museums, restaurants and night clubs.”
“What about other types of clubs?”
His face broke out in a devilish grin and he leaned farther into me. “We have those kinds of clubs, as well. I would be happy to introduce you if you would like.”
I pulled my body away; he assumed I meant sex clubs. I couldn’t believe him. I shook my head. “No, Mr. Tuckers, I’m talking about clubs for the children, for keeping them busy after school and on the weekends. Clubs for our elderly, to keep their minds active. With you being a member of the city council, I just assumed you would know if these clubs existed.”
When dinner was finished, I reached into my purse and tossed down one hundred dollars.
“Oh, Natalie, I asked you out on this date. Your money is not welcomed here.” I got the feeling that more than my money wouldn’t be welcomed here. By the way he just assumed he could order my drink and I would say nothing. How he had arranged for my daughter to go to a particular school or even decided for me where I would live. Regardless of how great all of these things seemed; I had no part in the decision. I had no doubt if I were to accept this position, my choices would continue to be taken away.
“Mr. Tucker, tonight has been quite eye-opener and you have managed to answer all the questions I had left. I will be heading home in the morning and will let the Board know of my decision.”
He grabbed my arm as I rose out of my chair. “Ms. Reid, I had planned to take you to see your new home tomorrow. It’s been all arranged with you in mind.”
I withdrew my hand from his grip. “You will excuse me, Mr. Tucker. I do not wish to see a penthouse that you have chosen for me. Again, I will let the Board know of my decision.”
I didn’t wait for him to take me back to the hotel. I was lucky enough to have a cab dropping someone off just as I exited the doors. I gave the cab the name of the hotel and he managed to pull away before Evan could stop us. Once back in my hotel, I looked around and decided I’d had enough of the smoke and mirrors of this place. I grabbed my suitcase and checked out of the hotel. I arrived back in Crain’s Landing in the wee hours of the morning, and when I laid down in my bed, the comfort of being home took me right into dream land.
The next morning, I woke up early with a new determination. I asked Dad if he could drop Peyton off at the daycare for me and he agreed. Ashley was surprised to see me behind my desk when she opened the doors. “I thought you would be out until Monday?” I smiled at her and then turned back to my computer screen.
“Change of plans. I’ve been inspired and I wanted to get started.” It wasn’t a lie. When I found out the library in Atlanta offered child care, I began to think about the parents here in Crain’s Landing who needed a little extra time during their holiday shopping.
I was drafting a proposal that would allow us to use several of the vacant rooms in the back. One for a place to hold children as they played, while two of the other rooms would hold crafters and bakers who wanted to share or sell their products. The parents could choose to leave their children if they wanted to shop in town, as well. It would benefit everyone.
It was shortly before lunch when my boss returned with an answer. The Board loved the idea. He suggested that instead of charging money for the childcare, have the parents bring some non-perishable foods or an unwrapped toy to be given to local charity.
I was busy sending an email out to all the crafters I knew in town when a knock came to my office door. Ashley opened the door carrying
in a large bouquet of red roses mixed with calla lilies. I knew instantly it wasn’t from Grant. Ashley placed them on my side board as I continued to type the email. The aroma they were sending off was wonderful; however, I didn’t want to admit who I feared they were from. Slowly I walked over and took out the card.
Ms. Reid,
My heart was heavy when I learned that you had left the hotel before I could give you a proper goodbye. I was looking forward to showing you all that Atlanta has to offer. However, we will have time when you are here permanently. I look forward to assisting you in any need you may have.
With warm affection,
Evan Tucker
I laid the card down on my desk and opened my email once again. Atlanta did have so many things to offer me. Not to mention the salary they offered was quite nice. I typed up my decision and hit send.
HAVING TIME TO BECOME LOST in your thoughts could be a double edged sword. On one hand, it could be good to reflect, evaluate, and filter those thoughts. On the other, you could become forced to deal with them, face perhaps some demons running around inside your head. My morning had been free from interruptions with one tiny exception, the flowers currently mocking me from across the room. I tried, for several hours, at attempting to work, yet found myself sifting through the past few weeks. I discovered the majority to be negative, not enough good ones to chase the bad ones away. How wonderful life would be if we could only wish the bad away, send it to a place where it couldn’t harm us anymore.
Fall was settling in nicely—well, as much as it could here in the south. Humidity was something I was still struggling to deal with, yet as the leaves on the trees started to show the brilliant oranges, yellow and gold colors, I recalled the chill I would find in New York. Maybe I should head back north, free myself from this town and the humidity in one simple move. Nothing was really holding me here. Dad was happy with Peggy, the library was seeing record number of patrons, and Ashley would be an easy fit into my role. So was there truly a reason for me to stay?
Movement by my half-open office door pulled me from my revolving memory of seeing Grant and Tiffany in a lovers’ embrace. I looked toward the frame of a man who stood just inside, hand raised in anticipation of knocking. I searched deep inside for the smile I saved for emergencies and rose from my desk. “Dr. Crain? I didn’t expect to see you.” I motioned for him to come inside and have a seat.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I need a few minutes of your time.” He looked the same, still incredibly handsome for a man of his age. Grant would surely follow him in his charisma and charm. I envied Tiffany; she would enjoy having a man such as Grant who was not only kind but pleasant to look at and would be for years to come
“Of course not, I always have time for you.”
Martin closed the door behind him before crossing the room to take a seat. Even with doing something as mundane as sitting in a chair, he did so in such a fluid motion. “I know you're busy, but some things have come to my attention and I feel I need to investigate.”
My interest piqued at the fact he was here and why he would call on me for any issues. “Is everything okay?” My concern was real, unlike the smile I gave him earlier.
“Earlier today I happened to be making rounds with a few of my patients when I overheard a page for Dr. Crain. As you may suspect, we have a few new staff members due to some recent changes. We are still working on reminding them of the fact we have two Dr. Crains on staff and they need to be more specific.”
I was aware of the two new staff members; two lovely young girls who were recruited from another town north of Charleston.
“I decided it would be easier to just answer the page and handle the call myself, since I knew Grant was in surgery this morning.” Hearing Grant’s name still caused my heart to jump in my chest and speed up the rate at which it beat. Would that ever go away?
“You remember Emily from the flower shop, correct?”
I cast a side glance to the petals which couldn’t be missed if you tried. “Yes, she is very...” Trying to find a word to describe Emily was difficult without sounding mean.
“Excited?” Martin finished for me.
“Excited is a good choice,” I agreed with a smile, a real one this time.
“She is a kind soul, just very happy most of the time, which is good considering who she is married to.” Martin didn’t need to go further in his explanation. Perhaps Emily took a mood altering drug to cancel out the emotions her cheating husband gave her.
“She was calling to ask Grant about a delivery she had just finished for you.”
My eyes found the now offending flowers. What would Martin think of me receiving gifts from a man other than his son?
“She was concerned she had misunderstood the instructions, as Grant had always used his given name. This time the message was signed by an, Evan Tucker.” Martin dipped his head as he body began to shake from silent laughter. “She questioned if Grant was using a different name to play some sort of game with you or if he was thinking of going back to Hollywood with Rebecca, using Tucker as his stage name.”
Oh, how colorful the world inside Emily’s mind must be; full of delusions of grandeur, fantasy scenarios, stories with happy endings and plenty of puppies and unicorns.
“Natalie, normally I would have simply assured her the delivery was correct and agreed with the possibility of Grant playing a trick on you. However, with the issues I have been involved with pertaining to my son, I had some misgivings. I felt I needed to do some investigative work.” His face serious, and my heart rate increased with fear. Could something have happened to Grant or one of the grandchildren?
“I try very hard to stay out of my adult children’s lives, but when I am presented with the ability to right a wrong, making their lives happier, you can damn well bet I’m going to do just that.” His voice was of a stern father, much like my own when I was a teen in high school. Dad had the ability to glance at me and speak much as Martin was now and it would be all the punishment I required. “After I ended the call, I phoned the one woman in my life who shares the same desire. Carolyn listened as I explained my side of the story, at the same time, I took the name Emily had given me and did a little digging of my own.”
I was certain my face was completely pale, if he looked up Evan Tucker then he might come to his own conclusion as to why I would be receiving flowers from him.
“Carolyn shared a very interesting detail.” Martin shifted in his seat, fluidly placing his left ankle on his right knee. “She said you and she talked in detail the evening Grant come back from Los Angeles. She told me she encouraged you to go and talk with him after she told you I had just dropped him off at his house.” I remembered the night a lot different, relived the nightmare over and over in my mind. “You returned a short while later, admitting you had not spoken with Grant, changed your mind, wanted to...save it for another time when he wasn’t tired from his trip.”
I could feel the tears coming, so I swallowed and bit the inside of my bottom lip to keep them at bay.
“It was the same night I received a call from Grant, about an hour after I told him to order food, have a stiff drink and a soak in his hot tub.”
I didn’t want to hear anymore, I knew what happened in that hot tub, what more than likely happened every night. The thought of Grant and Tiffany caressing each other, him touching her the way he touched me, held me and loved me, made me sick to my stomach.
“See, Grant was following my instructions; he called Ms. Gina down at the pizza place, she instructed him to leave his garage door open, she would have her son bring his dinner into the kitchen and he could pay her the next time he was in the restaurant.” He stopped momentarily when his phone vibrated, reaching inside his pants pocket, glanced at the screen and then returned it.
“He called me in probably the most angry state he has ever been in. Which is saying a lot considering his reaction to finding out Rebecca was seeing Sheriff Dale behind his back.”
“You see, Grant has always been the most loyal of all my children. When he makes a decision he sticks with it, when he says something, you can bet he means it.”
I wasted a wish on the two of you… His words still created the same sting days after they fell from his lips, now I knew he truly meant them.
“He demanded I have Tiffany Garrison removed from our mentorship program.” Again his phone vibrated, this time he ignored its buzzing. “Tiffany is a brilliant girl, one who has let nothing stand in her way of getting what she desires.”
I had to agree with him; she clearly had Grant. Even after I was warned so many times about her, I focused my attention on Rebecca, the least likely person to step in and take him away.
“Grant spoke in great detail of how he came down stairs to find, not only his dinner waiting for him, but a scantily clad Tiffany. She had apparently taken the same route as Anthony when he delivered Grant’s bowl of pasta.” Tiny prickles of anger began to creep up my spine as I considered the picture Martin was beginning to paint. “See, the way I see it, Tiffany managed to, as Grant described, throw herself into his nearly naked body forcing a kiss he had to fight off, at the same time you stepped out of your car and onto the walkway beside his front window. Now, from the angle you were standing, clearly you wouldn’t have seen he was in fact wearing a towel. I suspect once you saw the kiss—which wasn’t really a true kiss—you turned around and went back home, where you told Carolyn you had changed your mind, which sadly was the truth based on a complete lie.
“I’ve lived in this little town long enough to know how cruel gossip can be. You are an even smarter woman than Tiffany, and I have the feeling you went to Atlanta and interviewed for a position with their public library. Atlanta, being an excellent choice if you want to go where no one knows about you or the broken heart you're trying so hard to mend. Still remaining close enough so your dad could visit on the holidays.”
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