Just a Little Surprise

by Tracie Puckett

  “I hope so,” she said, trying to hide a goofy smile behind her glass. “He’s so… amazing. When he’s not under a ton of stress, that is.”

  “Yeah,” I said, wholeheartedly agreeing. “You got lucky with that one.”

  “I know,” she said. “And what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Luke? Derek? Where do you see yourself five years from now?”

  I dropped my head. “Luke’s history… and Derek’s not an option.”

  “So?”

  “So… long-term… I see myself living with Charlie, Elvis, and about five hundred cats. I think I’m swearing off men for the rest of my life. They’re nothin’ but trouble.”

  She smiled. “Is Luke history? Really?”

  “I respect Luke,” I said. “And I understand now why he’s done what he’s done. I can’t explain it; it’s not my place to say anything. But I understand. I just hate the way he went about hiding things. His tactics were wrong. He didn’t have to hurt me in the process of protecting someone else.”

  She nodded, but I knew she couldn’t understand. But I had no right to sit there and tell Kara about Rebecca, Molly, and Luke’s relationship. Luke didn’t trust me with the information, but that’s where he was wrong. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect him—to keep his secrets—no matter how little he thought of me. Though Luke had shut the door on our relationship—and I had allowed him to do so—I still wanted nothing but happiness for him. If keeping the secret made him happy, I wasn’t going to tell a soul.

  “You wanna hit the road?” I asked, checking my watch. “Surely they’ve got the party ready to go by now.”

  “You wanna leave?” she asked, seemingly surprised. “I thought you’d want to blow as much time as possible—”

  “Yeah,” I said. “As much as I’m dreading it, I can’t blow it off. Charlie’s worked so hard to make this happen… he really thinks I have no idea. I can’t let him down.”

  Friday, March 08

  Kara pulled up to the house about fifteen minutes later. I slid out of the passenger’s seat and looked up at the house. The windows were dark, and there was no sign of life anywhere. I expected to see a few familiar cars parked along the street or in neighbors’ driveways, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.

  “You go,” she said, digging in her purse. “I’ll catch up with you in a sec. I have to text Matt and let him know we’re here.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, just go,” she said. “And try to act surprised, okay?”

  “How’s this?” I asked, dropping my jaw and throwing my hands to my face.

  “Too much. You’re forcing it.”

  “Ah, I’ll wing it,” I said, shutting the door. I walked up the porch steps and put the key in the lock. I unlocked the door, turned the knob, and pushed it open. As I expected, the whole house was dark. There wasn’t even the slightest bit of light coming from the main floor. “Hello?”

  I waited for the chorus of ‘surprise’ yells and falling confetti, but the lights never came on, and no one jumped out to surprise me.

  “Charlie?” I asked, scrunching my brow. “Hello? Is anybody home?”

  I figured he’d told everyone to stay hidden as long as possible, to really milk the surprise for all it was worth. So, being the awesome niece that I was, I decided to play along.

  “Oh gee,” I said, stepping into the dark living room. “I sure hope no one jumps out and—”

  “Who are you talking to?” Charlie asked, and I turned around to meet his puzzled expression. He stood halfway up the stairs in a pair of flannel pajamas. With a half-eaten bag of popcorn in hand, he walked down the remaining stairs and turned the entryway lights on.

  I stared at him for another minute and then looked around the room.

  “Julie,” he said, waving his one free hand in front of my face. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I turned and glanced around the living room. There was no one there, not a single person in the house except for me and Charlie.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. “Where is everybody?”

  “Who’s everybody?” he asked, drawing his brows together with concern. “Honey, it’s just us. I’ve been here all night, and Matt’s at work.” He sat the popcorn aside on the coffee table and cupped my arms in each of his hands. “Julie, are you feeling okay?”

  “I… I don’t understand,” I said, my mouth feeling dry. “I thought… Matt said that you were… and then Kara.” I turned to look out the window only to find that Kara’s car was missing from the driveway. I looked back to Charlie, who looked as though he was seriously concerned about my mental state. “Didn’t you have plans tonight?”

  “Plans?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “For my birthday.”

  “Honey,” he said, shaking his head. “We celebrated your birthday on Wednesday, remember?”

  “I know, but Matt said that… and even Bruno!”

  “What about Bruno?”

  “Forget it,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I think I just need to get some sleep—”

  “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

  “Fine,” I said, brushing by him. “I’ll see you in the morning, k?”

  He nodded and watched as I moped up the stairs, still in complete disbelief.

  Had I missed something?

  Matt had blatantly said Dad’s throwing you a surprise party. Bruno had confirmed it when he stopped by to visit before going on his trip. And if there wasn’t a party… then what was all that with Kara tonight?

  Had everyone ganged up on me to pull the biggest prank of the year? And if so, how could they possibly think it was funny? It’s not like I was actually looking forward to partaking in the party, so where was all the humor in telling lies?

  I didn’t know what had happened, or why it had happened. All I could assume is that Matt, Charlie, Bruno, and Kara had seriously gotten their wires crossed.

  I made it to the top of the steps and turned off into my dark bedroom. Shutting the door behind me, I took a deep breath and tossed my purse into the corner. It collided with something near the window, resulting in an unfortunate crash. I couldn’t be sure exactly what I’d broken or knocked over; honestly, it was impossible to see anything in the dark.

  I stumbled across the room and managed to find my bedside lamp. I switched it on and turned back to my dresser without assessing whatever damage I’d caused with my purse—I’d take care of that in the morning.

  I opened the top drawer and pulled Luke’s old pajamas from the stack of folded laundry. I held them in my hands for a few long seconds, contemplating on whether or not I wanted to keep them. Deciding it was best to throw them out—along with every other memory of our time together—I tossed them aside and opted for a pair of shorts and a tank top. I started to unbutton my jeans when something behind me—the sound of a man clearing his throat—stopped me dead in my tracks.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, fully prepared to turn around and confront Luke head-on. I imagined he’d showed up to yell at me for talking to Rebecca. I’m sure he wanted to know what she’d told me, how much I knew, and if I’d told anyone since finding out.

  But when I turned around to face the man in my room, my heart suddenly sank to the floor.

  It was easy to tell how I’d missed him in the dark, but how had I missed him after turning the light on? Standing only two feet behind me, Derek bit his lower lip and managed a dorky grin.

  “Hey,” he said, taking a step closer. He opened his arms to offer a hug, and I immediately fell into his embrace.

  “You’re here.”

  “Yeah,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head. He held me close, almost as if he wanted to hold on to me forever. I pressed my ear against his shirt, listening to the patter of his heartbeat. His arms tightened around me as he rested his head on top of mine. “Are you surprised?”

  I finally managed to look up at him a
nd rested my chin on his chest. He smiled down at me, his familiar blue eyes shining behind his glasses.

  “Totally,” I said, trying not to blink. I didn’t want to close my eyes—not even for a second—and suddenly realize that he wasn’t really there, and that I was only seeing things. “I had no idea you were coming, honestly. This is the best surprise of my life.”

  Chapter Six

  Friday, March 08

  Derek’s soft features pulled together with a simple smile.

  “I thought you had a one-way ticket to the rest of your life?”

  “I did,” he said. “And then… well, as luck would have it, I ran into someone at the airport who had a whole new idea for my future.”

  “Who?”

  “I’m supposed to give you this,” he said, reaching into his back pocket. He passed me an envelope and watched as I tore the seal.

  “Who’s it from?”

  “Just read it.”

  I pulled a small piece of white stationery from the inside and unfolded it.

  Julie,

  By now you’ve probably figured out that your surprise wasn’t as much of a party as it was a reunion; I hope you don’t mind.

  Charlie, Matt, Kara, and I have been killing ourselves for weeks trying to figure out exactly what to get you once the big day came around. We agreed that it should be something special, something you would remember forever. More than anything, though, we wanted it to be the biggest surprise of your life.

  We each played a deceptive role in throwing you off the trail, for that you have our apologies. We simply wanted to make you believe anything but the truth. We’d hoped, prayed with all our might that when this moment came, you’d have no idea what was about to hit you.

  The whole plan was in motion, all I could do was hope that by the time I reached Derek, he’d hear me out long enough to come aboard and carry through with the ultimate surprise.

  Please forgive us if we overstepped our boundaries, but I—speaking only for myself, though I doubt the rest would disagree— truly believe it’s time that you get what you deserve.

  Happy birthday, sweetheart.

  All my love,

  Bruno

  I read the note again and looked back at Derek.

  “Bruno?”

  “Yeah,” he said, lifting my chin and staring intently into my eyes. “He didn’t give me a lot of details, but he said you were going through a pretty rough time.”

  “You didn’t have to come,” I said. “It was horrible for them to assume that you’d just go through with their plan—”

  “I just talked to you on Wednesday, Julie,” he said, still watching me. “You didn’t mention anything was wrong. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing—”

  “Julie,” he said, taking my one free hand; I still gripped Bruno’s note in the other. “You may be able to get away with that with everyone else, but I know better. I know you better.”

  “I’m okay, Derek—”

  “No,” he said, his hand falling softly on my back. “I know you’re not.” Just the softness in his tone made my heart flutter a few beats off rhythm. He truly cared about my wellbeing. He cared enough to fly from… wherever he came from… just to make sure I was okay. “Talk to me.”

  “Honestly,” I finally said, biting my lip. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “Luke, then?” I expected his mention of Luke’s name to be laced with anger and resentment, but there wasn’t a shred of animosity in his tone. Whatever he felt toward Luke—and whatever had happened between them before he left Oakland—he was keeping it well masked. He wasn’t going to let his feelings interfere with his understanding of my problem. “Bruno said you were disoriented,” he said. “He said you were slipping away—”

  “I broke up with Luke,” I said, suddenly remembering that Derek hadn’t even known that Luke and I were ever a couple. “We started dating at Christmas—”

  “I figured,” he said, swallowing hard. The muscles in his arm tightened for a moment, but quickly relaxed. “When I talked to you… you’d asked me why I hadn’t come by when I came through Oakland to see Hannah. I did; you weren’t here. So, I chalked it up to fate and stopped off to grab a bite to eat at Frank’s before leaving town. And then, as soon as I walked through the door, there you were—well, you and Luke. You were both at the bar, beaming ear to ear. I’d never seen you so happy—”

  “You were at Frank’s?” I asked, and I knew exactly what night he was talking about. It was the night that Matt had abandoned me and Charlie right before dinner. As a last minute resort to settle our hunger, we drove out to Frank’s Bar & Grill. It was only after Charlie had abandoned me at the bar that Luke had shown up, witty and charming as ever. Of course I looked happy… back then, I thought I was.

  “I didn’t want to come over,” he said. “I didn’t want to risk starting an argument. So, I left.”

  “You should’ve said something—”

  “I regretted walking away, Julie,” he said. “I thought I could walk away, find myself, and leave it all behind. And I didn’t realize until I was already gone, the part of my past—the best part of myself—that I loved the most… it was the person I was when I was with you. It was the person you helped me become. And leaving you behind… it was the biggest mistake of my life. I should’ve never left you, Julie. And now that I’m back, I’ll never leave you again.”

  Saturday, March 09

  Derek had been up for almost 24-straight hours by the time he reached the house the night before. His surprise visit hadn’t lasted long, but he promised that he was staying in town and that he’d be back first thing this afternoon to pick up where we’d left off.

  I’d tossed and turned all night; my mind reeled at how quickly things had changed. Since I wasn’t getting any rest (and since staying in bed wasn’t doing me a bit of good), I got up shortly after 5 AM.

  Hoping a quick walk around the block would help clear my mind, I got dressed and headed out. I zipped my jacket up close under my chin and crammed my hands into my pockets.

  I wasn’t surprised that the town was so quiet this early in the morning; anyone in their right mind would still be at home, sleeping soundly in their bed. It wasn’t until I reached the historic district that I even saw another person out and about.

  Call it a curse, or maybe even fate, but as I rounded the corner to leave the district twenty minutes later, my body slammed directly into that of the person coming from the opposite direction.

  “Kid, we’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” Luke said, offering me a hand off the ground. This time, instead of rejecting him like I’d previously done, I took his hand and pulled myself up. I wiped the dirt off my pants before looking up to meet his gaze. “You okay?”

  “I’ll survive.”

  I started to walk past him when he turned back.

  “Julie,” he said, stopping me in my tracks. “I’m sorry.

  “I’ve been hearing that from you a lot lately.”

  “You’re not toxic, Julie. I didn’t mean—”

  “I know,” I said, turning back to him. “We all say stupid things when we’re hurt.”

  “Hurt?” he asked, almost laughing at the same time. “You had Bruno run a DNA sample, for God’s sake. I wasn’t just hurt, Julie; I was pissed.”

  “In all fairness, I didn’t know about the DNA test until he came by with the results,” I said. “That was all him. And I’m not trying to throw him under the bus, that’s just how it was. He was just as suspicious about the time you were spending with Rebecca as I was.”

  He took my hand. “What can I do to make this go away? What can I say, Julie?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Sometimes I swear we’re meant to be… sometimes I’m not so sure.”

  “And which time is this?”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “I chased you for so long, Luke. I waited. Granted, I didn’t wait patiently.
But I waited. And I thought—after everything we’ve been through—that I would’ve earned your trust. I’ve never done anything to make you believe that I couldn’t be trusted.”

  “I know.”

  “And you told Matt.”

  “But only after shit hit the fan.” He turned to face me straight on, taking both of my hands. “I love you, Julie. That’s been a fact since the beginning, and I haven’t changed my mind. My actions were stupid, rash, and I should’ve trusted you; I know that now. I pushed you in the background and let other things cloud my judgment.”

  The slightest grin pulled on his lips as he watched me.

  “And I can look past the whole Derek thing,” he said, swallowing hard. “If you can. Can you move past it, Julie? Can you put him in the past?”

  My mind went back to the day that Luke and I had shared at the District Café only two weeks ago—the day he’d asked to see me, the day he’d promised to tell me everything that I didn’t know. Then, I thought I was going to learn the truth about his relationship with Rebecca. Then, I didn’t even know Molly existed. But somehow that trip to the café turned into a discussion about something else, something very different.

  He’d started with his confession about how he’d helped Matt with something, but his confession was vague and unrevealing. And then that somehow transpired into a conversation about Derek… and how he’d somehow taken care of him.

  “You’re not the only one who’s acted rash,” I said, squeezing his hands, but ignoring his questions. “You tried to tell me something at the café… something about Derek. But I left without hearing your explanation.”

  “You want to know what happened?” he asked, seemingly unsurprised.

  “Yes,” I said. “From the last time I saw him, leading up to the day that I walked into his empty house, found his note on his bedroom floor, and discovered he was gone… what transpired? Obviously you know, so fill in the gaps, please.”

  Luke dropped my hands and stood straighter. He paced back and forth on the sidewalk in front of me. After a few minutes of silence, he finally turned back. He rubbed his chin, almost looking as though he wanted to conjure up a lie. But I saw his internal struggle stretching across his face. He knew he had no choice but to tell the truth.