by Rose Pressey
I felt guilty just standing there watching her. Should I have gone over and volunteered to help pick up the clothing? She probably would have just turned me away and told me to get lost. I wasn’t ready to take that chance. What would I have said? Long time no see? That sounded kind of lame. This was an awkward situation and I’d never been good with awkward situations. I would just have to wing it and see what happened though. If Chloe told me to get lost then I’d walk away as if nothing had happened. I stepped toward the back of the car and waited as a couple of cars drove by.
I’d just stepped off the curb when someone called out my name. I turned around and saw my brother Ty standing behind me. People thought we were twins since we had the same dark hair and eyes. He was an inch shorter than me, although he never admitted it.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.
“I was just getting lunch.” I motioned toward the diner, avoiding looking at Chloe.
Did I look guilty? What did I have to be guilty about? I was only going over to help her out. But no doubt he would give me a hard time for that. Maybe he wouldn’t notice Chloe. No way. Her beauty would stand out in any crowd. He looked at me with a suspicious eye and then glanced over my shoulder. Too late. He would see her now.
“I recognize that look. You look guilty of something.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“You don’t recognize anything.” I looked over my shoulder. She was gone. How had she gotten away so quickly? Had she noticed us? I bet she’d heard him call out my name. No, there was too much noise from traffic for that. At least that was what I told myself.
“What are you doing here?” I tried to change the subject.
“I came to see Mom and Dad.” He eyed me intently.
I nodded. “Yeah, okay. Tell them I’ll stop by soon. I need to get my lunch and head back.”
He still stared at me with that suspicious look. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” he said.
I felt like I had seen a ghost. It didn’t look as if he was going to let me off the hook with this one. I’d have no choice but bring back a topic that I’d thought had died a long time ago. It was funny how this town had a way of dragging things back that should have been dead and buried a long time ago.
His stare was focused on me like a hawk and I couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t just mind his own business. He’d always been that way though, always trying to fix everyone’s problems.
I leaned against my truck and stared at him for a moment. “I think I saw Chloe Beaumont.”
“Wow, that’s a name I haven’t heard for a long time.” He studied my face. “What did she say?”
“I didn’t speak to her,” I said.
“Why not?” he asked.
I gestured with a tilt of my head. “She was across the street. I was going to walk over there when you showed up. When I looked back she was gone. It’s probably for the best though. You know, let sleeping dogs lie and all that.”
He shrugged. “If you say so. What do you think she’s doing back here?”
“I guess to see her uncle.”
His eyebrows drew upward. “Maybe. You haven’t mentioned her name for a long time. But I’m not stupid. You haven’t forgotten about her,” he said.
“I don’t even want to talk about this,” I said.
He held his hands up. “Hey, whatever. You always keep that crap in and that doesn’t help anything.”
“I’ve been doing fine for this long, I think I can manage for a while longer.”
“Yeah, whatever you say.” He ran his hands through his hair.
“Just don’t go looking for her or do anything stupid like that,” I said.
He shrugged. “It’s none of my business.”
“I’m going for my lunch now. You sure you don’t want to come?” I asked.
“Nah, I got a few errands to run too,” he said.
I’d grab my burger and get the hell out of there.
Just when I thought I was in the clear, getting out of there Porter Brennan approached. I’d never seen the man wearing anything other than short-sleeved button-down shirt and black pants. He was the local building inspector who took his job a little too seriously. All I wanted was some time to think about what had happened and now everyone in town wanted to shoot the shit.
“Well, if it ain’t the Kenner boys. Grant and Ty, how the hell are you?” He smacked Ty on the back.
“What’s going on?” I asked with a nod.
“Not a whole hell of a lot,” he said with a cheesy smile.
Porter thought he was God around this town because he could say yes or no to any new building plans. He’d stopped a lot of new places around town because he wanted things to stay the same.
“Just heading for some lunch.” I looked in the opposite direction, hoping he’d take the hint. I thought he knew that he wasn’t one of my favorite people.
“How’s your momma and daddy?” he asked.
I glanced in the direction of our parents’ store. “They’re good.”
Ty still hadn’t answered him. Ty liked him even less than I did.
“So what are you all up to today? Aren’t you supposed to be out there on that bayou looking for people who aren’t supposed to be fishing?” Porter chuckled.
My brother tensed at Porter’s question. I was the game warden for the area. Yes, it was my job to make sure people weren’t doing something they weren’t supposed to. Porter was just upset that I had asked for his fishing license.
“What were you all looking at?” He cast a glance around the area.
“A woman,” my brother answered.
Porter nodded. “Good-looking?”
I glared at him.
“It was good to see you all. I need to go turn down some building permits. See you later.” He laughed and waved as he walked away.
“What a jackass,” Ty said.
Now that Chloe had gone, I didn’t want to hang around any longer. “All right, I have to go. See you later,” I said as I walked toward the diner.
Chapter Three
Chloe couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by memories
I couldn’t believe I’d seen Grant Kenner. After all these years, he still looked as handsome as ever. Actually, I had to take that back—with his strong chiseled features and muscular body, he looked better than he had when I’d left Belle Grove. I’d always loved running my fingers though his thick hair.
I wasn’t sure if he’d seen me and I hoped that he hadn’t. I just wanted to get out of there before he did. I should have known I wouldn’t be able to sneak back into town without seeing him. My uncle had tried to talk about Grant a few times, but I’d always cut him off. If I could just get in and out in a hurry maybe I could avoid seeing Grant again.
I made my way through the winding back roads to the edge of town. It had been ten years, but I still remembered the roads as if it was yesterday. I had a lot of great memories of this place, but there were bad ones too. I had moved away so that I could create new memories. Well, at least that had been the plan. The ones that had been created since I’d left didn’t seem to be as special. That was something I needed to work on when I got home. There was no reason why I shouldn’t make good memories with my new life. It was time for me to start.
I made it to a paved road that was covered by tall trees. It was a secluded area. My uncle liked to live a little off the beaten path. He’d found the perfect spot this time. I pulled down the road and hoped that I really had the right location. It was a dead-end street and the houses were spaced out with a lot of room in between. Well, what I could see of the houses. The tall trees were so dense it was hard to make sure that there were homes at the end of the driveways.
At the end of the road was a gravel driveway. The numbers were on the rusty mailbox at the end of the drive. I turned in and pulled the car down the long driveway. The small white ranch house came into view. My uncle’s car wasn’t parked out front. He must have taken off in his car. I was sur
e that he would be back soon and this trip would all be for nothing.
After pulling up and shifting my car into park, I peered around at the landscape, but didn’t notice anything unusual, except for one little thing. The stack of newspapers on the front porch had started to grow. Someone had placed them into a neat pile by the door.
I turned off the ignition and climbed out from behind the wheel. What would I do first? That was of course if in fact Uncle Taylor wasn’t there. Stepping through the tall grass, I moved around the back of my car and up the sidewalk toward the front porch. Uncle Taylor couldn’t really maintain the lawn from wherever he’d taken off to, but surely he wouldn’t be gone for much longer. My uncle liked to keep his home neat and the lawn work was one of his favorite things. I stepped up to the porch and peered down at my feet. Yes, someone had definitely taken the time to stack the newspapers. It was probably the girlfriend. My uncle had just forgotten to stop the paper.
I stepped around the newspapers and up to the door. I pulled open the screen door and knocked. As I waited, I glanced around for any other oddities. Of course Uncle Taylor wouldn’t answer, but I had to try anyway. The house was surrounded by trees like a vegetated fortress. It seemed easy for someone to disappear into the trees. There were other houses around, but it still seemed as if this place was cut off from the world. If I screamed, would another living soul hear me? That was a scary thought. I was letting the setting creep me out and I needed to shake that off.
I knocked again, but no one answered, so I knew that apparently what Gina had said was correct. If he was in there he would have answered my call. She had said the police had been out to check on him and didn’t suspect any foul play. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her number. She answered on the second ring.
“I’m here at my uncle’s house,” I said.
“Can you wait there and I’ll be right over?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure.”
I wasn’t sure why we needed to talk here. Wouldn’t it be better if we went to someplace slightly less secluded? After hanging up the phone I wondered what to do until she arrived. Being alone at my uncle’s house made me uneasy and nervous. I had to do something to keep my mind occupied.
While I waited for her to arrive, I decided to take a look in the windows. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I had to do something to stay busy. Maybe I’d see something that would give me a clue as to where he was. Yeah, that was highly unlikely from the window, but I’d give it a try.
I stepped off the porch and over to the windows that lined the front of the house. There were three along the front. I stepped through the mulch and bushes and up close against the house. The curtains were pulled back and I got a good view of the inside.
As far as I could tell there was nothing out of place. Everything looked neat and orderly. The sofa and chair were sitting in the room with a coffee table in front. It actually looked as if he’d cleaned. I knew I liked to leave my home clean when I went on a trip. I hadn’t had time to do that before I came here. There were very few used dishes out and no unfinished business. Someone had to know where he’d gone. There had to be someone he would have told.
I couldn’t handle hanging out there any longer. I had to do something constructive so I decided to walk over to the neighbors’ home and ask if they’d seen my uncle. Of course I had no idea if the neighbors knew each other, but if it was anything like the Belle Grove I knew, then they would. Everyone had known everyone’s business when I’d lived here and I doubted it had changed.
I stepped down the driveway and out onto the road. There was a little more light left in the day, but the trees still hung overhead, blocking out the sun.
After making it to the next driveway, I stepped forward, then paused, soaking in the view. The small ranch house looked a lot like my uncle’s and it would be easy to mistake one for the other. I walked down the gravel drive and the entire house came into view. It was a light-colored brick ranch about the same size as my uncle’s. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the man standing in the driveway. What was he doing here? I’d seen him twice in one day—what were the odds?
Grant Kenner and I had a history going all the way back to high school. He’d acted as if he’d loved me, but I’d soon found out that was all a lie.
I had no desire to see him again. And I definitely didn’t want him to see me. There was nothing left to say between us. Sure, it had been a long time, but that was even more reason not to bring up the past. I wanted to get out of there before he noticed me. I spun around and rushed back toward the street. Why did the driveway have to be so long? I cursed the gravel crunching loudly under my feet. It was taking me forever to get out of there. It was as if an invisible force was holding me back and slowing me down. Of course that was all in my mind.
“Chloe, wait,” he called out to me.
Damn. It was too late. He’d seen me. What would I do now? I could run and act as if I hadn’t heard him. But he’d called my name so loudly that I was sure all of Belle Grove had heard him. That would be stupid of me if I acted that way. I had no choice but to confront my past.
I turned around to face Grant. For the first time in ten years our eyes met again. In that split moment, it was as if I’d never left in that split moment. My stomach flipped as if I’d just plunged off a bridge in free-fall. My body tingled all the way to my toes. I hadn’t expected my body to react in such a way.
Needless to say this was an awkward situation. The words wouldn’t come. He walked close to me and luckily I didn’t run away this time. When he was close to me it was as if the wind had been knocked out of me.
“Hello,” he said, looking me straight in the eyes.
“Do you live here?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes, I do. How did you find me?”
I snorted. “I didn’t know you lived here. It was purely by accident.”
He looked me up and down.
“I wasn’t looking for you,” I added.
“You look great,” he said with a little smile. “What are you doing here?”
I gestured over my shoulder. “I was looking for my uncle. Have you seen him?”
“I guess your uncle didn’t tell you that we are neighbors?”
I shook my head. “No, he didn’t share that information.”
Of course I didn’t tell Grant that I had always stopped my uncle any time he had wanted to talk about any of the Kenner clan.
“I haven’t seen your uncle for a few days. He usually stops by to say hello. Did he go on a trip?” His face lit up with each word. Grant’s handsome face was made to fill women with lust and longing.
“I’m not sure where he is. That’s why I’m here.” I tried to look away.
“You came all this way just to check up on him?” Grant asked.
“You could say that, yes. His girlfriend called and was concerned about him. Apparently they had an argument and he left.”
“I’m sure he will be back soon.” He flashed a comforting grin.
I nodded. “Well, that’s what I told her too.”
“She is concerned,” he offered.
“My uncle didn’t tell me that you were neighbors,” I said.
“Well, I guess that was something he didn’t think you’d want to hear,” he said.
I wasn’t even going to answer that. It was time for me to get out of there. No matter how good he looked in his tight shirt and well-fitting pants or what kind of memories flashed in my mind.
“Chloe?” a woman called out from behind me.
I spun around and spotted Gina DeWitt walking toward me. Thank goodness she had showed up. It was perfect timing. Now I could get out of there with the perfect excuse. How did she know where to find me?
“You found me,” I said.
She nodded as she looked from me to Grant. “I thought maybe you’d disappeared too,” she said with a frown.
In spite of my best attempt I couldn’t take my eyes off Grant. “It was nice seeing you.”
This seemed awkward and surreal. Was that the best comment I could come up with? After all this time? I had to put on my best face and not let on how I felt inside though.
He offered a gentle smile. “It was good to see you again, Chloe.”
He almost sounded sincere.
Chapter Four
Grant couldn’t get her out of his head
I wasn’t going to lie. I’d thought about Chloe all night long as I tossed and turned in my bed. How long would she be in town? Would I see her again? Finally, I forced myself to stop. If she wanted to see me she would have let me know a long time ago. I wouldn’t push myself on her.
It was the next day and I’d pulled up in front of my parents’ store, Kenner’s. I walked through the door and readied myself for the questions that would come from my mother. I loved her more than anything, but she wasn’t bashful about asking questions. Her driving goal was to see me with a wife.
My mother Elaine was a petite woman, but no one who knew her would ever let her size fool them. She was a tough one and she didn’t put up with anything from anyone. Her once-dark hair was now sprinkled with gray. As usual she was stylishly dressed, today wearing brown pants and a white blouse.
“Do you like my new outfit?” she asked.
“Looks good.” I winked.
Like I knew the first thing about women’s clothing. My father Wayne had his head buried in the morning newspaper. He peeked over the top with his glasses at the tip of his nose. “It’s about time you showed up.”
Movement caught my attention. Ty walked from the back room of the store. Since he wore his uniform I figured he was heading to work soon. My father put the paper up and started reading again.
My mother wrapped her arm around Ty’s waist. “Two of my favorite guys. Now if the rest of my boys were here it would be perfect.”