Fighting Fate

by Hope, Amity

  That didn’t stop her from lamenting. Couldn’t Tom have sent Cole out on another job? Couldn’t he have sent someone else to her house? Anyone else, really. She wasn’t picky.

  “Why you? I can’t believe he sent you.” Her tone held more distress than disgust. She hoped he didn’t notice.

  Cole seemed completely unaffected. “He had me look through a stack of estimates. Jobs he thought I could handle. I saw your name—”

  “You chose to come here?” she asked in bewilderment.

  “Well, yeah. Especially when I realized it was Cora’s house.” His brow furrowed and his expression became somber. “I was sorry to hear about Cora. I mean, I know she passed away a couple of years ago but I just found out about it. So, I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you,” Sarah said. She meant it. For all of his faults, somehow Cole had managed to get along well with her grandmother.

  “You like living out here? All alone? It’s awfully secluded.” He turned away from her and looked out at the yard.

  “It’s perfect,” she said.

  He nodded but didn’t turn her way.

  Sarah’s feet moved forward and she found herself standing next to him. She looked out at the yard as well. She wondered what he thought of the place now. It was rundown, for sure. Her dad had hired someone to mow the lawn so at least that was under control. The tree line that skirted the yard looked thicker than it had a few years ago. The gravel drive was scattered with invasive weeds. Cora’s flowerbeds, which had once been her pride and joy, had been terribly neglected. Sarah vowed right then that she would devote some attention to them as soon as she had her painting completed.

  She wished that she had spent more time here over the past few years. If the house had been neglected, she had no one to blame but herself. It was just that life had been so busy. And thoughts of the farmhouse had been so distant.

  “It needs a lot of work, obviously,” she said somewhat defiantly.

  Cole nodded as he turned to her. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Right,” she muttered. She was suddenly a little too aware of his presence and she took a step away again. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Yeah, I do. I worked for a company while I was—”

  “I don’t need to hear your life story,” she said. To her dismay, she felt a tightening in her chest over the comment. A faint burning erupted behind her eyes. She knew it was ridiculous and she couldn’t explain it. Somehow, his words had pulled her back into the past. “You made it clear to me a long time ago that what you do is none of my business.”

  “Sarah—”

  She shook her head. “No. You made that clear to me when you disappeared from my life without even saying goodbye. I haven’t seen you or heard from you in eight years.” She backed up until her backside bumped into the doorframe. There was so much more she wanted to say to him. So many years of bottled up frustration. But she held it in. If she were to start letting it out now, she might not be able to stop herself. Worst of all, she had a hunch that she would possibly end up in tears.

  She was not willing to give him that much of herself. Not anymore.

  “You might not want to hear about me. And I really don’t blame you. But I’d li>But Ike to hear about you. What brought you back to Laurel?” Cole asked quietly. “Other than working on the house, I mean.”

  She shook her head at him. He probably thought it was a simple question. It wasn’t. The answer was not something she planned on discussing with him.

  “How long do you think the roof is going to take you?” she asked.

  He frowned at her, realizing she was obviously ignoring his attempt at being civil. “A week or so. I’ll get the shingles torn off myself in the next day or two. Then Tom thought he’d have someone freed up in time to help lay the new ones down.”

  A week. She could handle that.

  He looked up and squinted at the siding. “That,” he said as he pointed toward the house, “will take a lot longer. Getting the siding off and then—”

  She let out a little groan. “I thought you were just here for the roof.”

  He shook his head. “I told Tom I’d be willing to do the whole job. The roof, the siding and the deck. It could all take up to a month depending on how many guys he can spare to help.”

  She bit her lip and looked away. Gretchen’s words echoed through her mind. It was eight years ago. You should let it go. She had let it go. Or at least she thought she had. But seeing him again? It brought it all back. Not just the night that she’d found him kissing Lacie. But all of it.

  The way he had let her into his life.

  The way he had completely stolen her heart.

  The way he had completely shattered it. Not just by kissing someone else. That had been unacceptable. But the way he’d treated her afterwards, as if she’d done something wrong. That had been worse. All of that had been bad but what had been completely unforgivable to her was that he had left town. He hadn’t said goodbye. He hadn’t even told anyone that he was going to leave.

  One day he was just…gone.

  And no one, not even his mom, had known where he’d gone.

  She’d worried about him endlessly. So many thoughts had gone through her mind, wondering if something horrible had happened to him. Considering the people he had hung around with, the idea wasn’t all that farfetched. She had worried herself sick over him. Cried herself to sleep over him for far too many nights to count.

  And for what?

  For nothing apparently.

  Because here he stood, like nothing had happened at all.

  Despite everything, or maybe because of everything, she realized just how relieved she was to finally know that he was okay.

  But that didn’t mean that she was ready to forgive him for what he had done.

  “Sarah?”

  She glanced up to find that he was looking at her worriedly.

  “Can’t Tom find someone else to do the rest of the work?” she asked.

  His look of worry turned into a look of disappointment. “If you really want him to, sure, I suppose he could. But it doesn’t have to be like this. We live in the same town. We’re obviously going to be running into each other. Can’t we try to be friends? We were once, weren’t we?”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “If the way you treated me at the end of your senior year is your idea of friendship, I think I’ll pass on rekindling that. If you’re here to do the roof, then by all means, do the roof.”

  Without waiting for his response, she slipped back into the house and closed the door. She let out a frustrated breath as she leaned against it. Then she cringed, irritated with herself for saying too much. But why? Why would he choose to come here? He’d had a whole stack of jobs to choose from. And he chose this one? Was he hoping to make amends? Was he really hoping to be friends again? Was he just acting like a completely clueless male, thinking that he really hadn’t done anything wrong?

  Whatever his reason, Sarah wanted nothing to do with it. She trudged up the steps to her bedroom. Her cell phone was sitting on her dresser. Next to it was a picture of her and Aaron, their engagement picture. She wasn’t sure why she had taken it out of the box. It wasn’t as if she could bear to look at it. Every time she caught an accidental glimpse of it, her mind was flooded with memories of the horrible night that it had all come to an end.

  She reached for her phone and seconds later she was greeted with Gretchen’s cheery, “Hello!”

  “Hi,” she said glumly. “I know you’re at work but do you have a few seconds?”

  “Of course. What’s wrong?” Gretchen’s tone had instantly turned to one of concern.

  “Nothing. Not really. It’s just…guess who’s here to do my roof!” she wailed.

  Gretchen hesitated before saying. “Do you seriously want me to guess? Because I have no idea.”

  “Cole.”

  “Oh!”

  “I know!” Sarah began pacing her small room. She passed
by her window and Cole came into view. For the first time she noticed that he was driving an old, battered pick-up. The back end seemed to be loaded down with supplies.

  “So he’s at your house?! Now? Right now?” Gretchen sputtered.

  “Right now.”

  “How did that happen?” Gretchen asked.

  Sarah quickly filled her in with the explanation Cole had given her.

  “I don’t like having him here.”

  “Oh, Sarah. You’re going to run into him every now and then. I just…” she sounded bewildered, “I can’t believe he showed up at your house.”

  “I know.”

  “I really did not see that coming,” she muttered. Her tone changed, becoming firmer when she said, “You’re not going to ask him to leave, are you?”

  “I can’t do that. It sounds like he needs the work. Besides, how would I explain that to Tom?” She wasn’t willing to delve into her personal life to give the man an explanation. “And what if I did ask him and he took it out on Cole? What if he thought Cole did something wrong? What if he didn’t hire him for anything else?”

  “So you’re worried about Cole’s wellbeing.”

  Sarah just knew that Gretchen was grinning. “I’m not willing to take away anyone’s paycheck,” she clarified. “Not even his.”

  “You still care about him,” Gretchen calmly accused. “And I don’t blame you one bit. I get that he hurt you. And I’m sure that you’re not telling me everything. But I also remember how close the two of you seemed to be. I mean, I know I was only twelve but you were my big sister. I paid attention to everything you did. I remember when you two broke up. You cried for weeks and you wouldn’t come out of your room for days. Then you did the same a few months later when he left town. I mean, that right there tells me how much you cared about him.”

  “I never said I didn’t care about him. I did care about him,” she said quietly. I was completely in love with him, she thought. If she couldn’t be honest with Gretchen, she could at least admit that to herself. “That’s the problem. I thought he cared about me too. I trusted him. He betrayed me in more ways than one.”

  She realized she was staring out the window when Cole glanced up and caught her. He was balancing a ladder against the side of the truck with one hand. He grinned at her and waved with his free hand. Reflexively, she waved back. Then she moved away from the window. Her cheeks were burning, knowing he’d caught her staring at him. She settled herself on the edge of her bed to keep from accidentally doing it again.

  “Do you know what I think? I think now is your chance to ask him why. In fact, you could march right out into the yard and demand to know why he did what he did.”

  “Mpanze="+0"aybe I don’t want to know anymore.”

  Gretchen scoffed at that. “Of course you do. And maybe when you get some answers, you can move past this…whatever this is. Maybe you can be friends again.”

  “Funny,” Sarah wryly replied, “that’s what he said.”

  She could hear the smile in her sister’s voice. “There you go then. You two were friends once. I know he couldn’t have been all bad or you wouldn’t have been with him for as long as you were. Right?”

  Sarah didn’t respond.

  “People make mistakes. And most of them deserve a second chance,” Gretchen said quietly.

  Chapter Seven

  “Do you know what I think? I think it’s more than just a coincidence that you both came back to Laurel at the same time. It’s fate, Sarah. Stop fighting it.”

  Sarah’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m not so sure it’s fate. I think it’s more like bad luck. Just like coming here tonight was bad luck. Maybe we should leave.”

  She had let Gretchen talk her into coming to Lucky’s Tavern yet again. She should’ve known better. Of course Cole would be here on a Friday night. Gretchen had just been so convincing. She had only just turned twenty-one. Earlier in the evening she had shown up at Sarah’s door, begging her for a girls’ night out.

  When Gretchen wanted something, Sarah had a hard time denying her of it.

  At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. That she’d come here for Gretchen’s sake. When Cole had walked in, it hadn’t been a big surprise. There were a few other bars in Laurel, but this one seemed to be the favorite of most. And she was already aware that he stopped here on occasion. So why had her heart taken that unexpected tumble in her chest? It hadn’t been an entirely unpleasant feeling. It had just been very confusing. Because she wasn’t supposed to feel anything for Cole. Or anyone, for that matter. Seeing him brought about too many mixed emotions and that’s why she suddenly wanted to leave.

  Gretchen reached across the booth and clutched Sarah’s arm. “No! You can’t go! We just got here.”

  Sarah glanced around. The bar was a lot more crowded tonight than it had been the last time they were there. Despite the fact that she had been gone for a very long time, there were a lot of familiar faces floating around in the sea of people. She didn’t know anyone well enough to try to strike up a conversation. The majority of the people were strangers. Except for one. She had seen Cole the moment he walked in but then she’d lost him in the crowd. With any luck, he’d stay lost.

  Apparently luck wasn’t on her side. Before she could respond to her sister, a waitress appeared beside them.

  “This is for you,” she said. She placed the gigantic margarita in front of Sarah.

  Sarah slid it back to her. “I didn’t order this.”

  The waitress turned slightly and pointed toward the bar. “No. I know. He did. It’s definitely for you.”

  Sarah’s eyes locked with Cole’s for just a moment. Then a boisterous crowd of men stepped in, blocking her view. It was just as well. She insistently pushed the drink back toward the waitress. “Please, take it back to him. I don’t want it.”

  “I really shouldn’t.” The woman glanced over her shoulder, suddenly looking nervous.

  Sarah rummaged around in her purse and pulled out a ten dollar bill. “Here, here’s a tip for you if you take it away. Give it to someone else. Anyone, really. I don’t want it.”

  “We will have two strawberry daiquiris though,” Gretchen said.

  The woman snatched the bill out of Sarah’s hand. With a reproachful look, she grabbed the drink and walked away.

  “Sarah…” Gretchen moaned.

  Sarah shrugged. “">ShruggedI don’t want anything from him. Not even a drink.”

  “But—”

  Sarah cut her off. “Maybe you should be worried about your own love life.”

  Gretchen rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about my love life.”

  “Why not? Unless you’re keeping something from me, I don’t recall that you have a boyfriend.”

  She made a confused face. “I don’t. And I don’t want one either. I don’t want to tie myself down with one. I’m too young to be tied down. So big sis, don’t worry about me. My love life is alive and well. Yours? Well, it clearly needs some resuscitation.” She cringed. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words. But really, why not give Cole a chance? He clearly wants one.”

  Her eyes drifted to the bar. Her emotions felt like they were on a teeter-totter. One minute she wanted to see him, the next, she just wanted to run away. She had to admit to herself that she’d hoped he would be here. Now that she knew he was, she didn’t want him to be.

  She lifted a hand to rub at her temple. She was going to make herself crazy. And losing her head over Cole yet again just wasn’t a good idea. Even if that fluttery feeling in her heart was telling her it wanted her to. She was grateful to see that he appeared to have left. Or maybe he’d blended in with a group of people. Either way, she didn’t want to be caught looking at him. Again.

  She jumped when his voice rumbled beside her.

  “I think you should listen to your sister. Why don’t you give me a chance?” he asked, feigning curiosity.

  Sarah face-palmed as she groaned. “Why do I feel like I�
�m being ganged up on?”

  “Would you like to join us?” Gretchen asked. Before Cole could answer she said, “Don’t be rude, Sarah. Scoot over.”

  With a glare, Sarah scooted.

  Cole didn’t hesitate. He slid in next to her. “If you aren’t in the mood for a margarita, can I buy you something else?”

  She shook her head. Returning the drink had nothing to do with not liking it. She knew that he was well aware of that.

  “Oh,” Gretchen said as she grimaced. “Have I ever got to pee!” She grinned at Sarah. “I’ll be right back.”

  Sure you will, Sarah thought as she let out an annoyed huff.

  She was trapped between the wall and Cole. She could feel the heat coming off of his body. Worse still, she picked up on the scent of his cologne. Even worse than that—and she knew she was being ridiculous—she could feel the pull of him. Like opposing ends of a magnet, she felt herself being drawn to him. She tried to fight it.

  She failed.

  Her gaze drifted up to his face. He was watching her intently. He was turned in the seat, his body acting as a privacy barrier between them and the rest of the bar. It was still such an odd feeling, seeing him again after all this time. He looked the same and yet…so different. She wondered if he thought the same about her. Her gaze darted across his face, taking in each of his features. The other times she’d seen him she’d still been trying to get over the shock of it all. But now, here he was beside her, the exquisiteness of him on full display.

  “Go out with me,” Cole said as he leaned into her.

  His nearness was already making her dizzy. The subtle move caused a rush of old emotions to course through her. She wanted to reach out and run her finger across the hollow of his cheekbone. Or ruffle her hands through his hair. It was just as dark but so much shorter than it used to be. She wondered if it was still as soft. His lips—

  “What? No,” Sarah replied as she tamped down her hormones. She tried to edge away but she hit the wall.

  “Not on a date. Out for pizza. Or a burger. Something simple. We can talk…catch up,” he suggested.

  She turned her gaze away from him and dropped it onto the table. She had to do something to block the sight of him. Looking away didn’t do much good. She was still all too aware of him.