Between the Raindrops

by Schussler, Susan

  Just then, Sarah’s favorite song began to blare from the table next to her—or it used to be her favorite, until she set it as a ringtone. She picked up the phone and slid her finger across the touch screen.

  “What’s up? You haven’t been abducted, have you?” Jessica’s voice rang with mockery.

  “No, not this week,” Sarah said with a chuckle. “I see William was at my parents’ for dinner last night?”

  “Well, you know how much he likes your mom’s lasagna.”

  “Plastic dolls don’t really eat, but I liked the picture with Mom and Dad. I miss you guys. I miss school. I even miss our old run-down rental house. Do you want to go out for drinks on Friday? You can bring William.”

  “Are you going to be in town?”

  “No, I wish! I won’t be home until graduation weekend. Jon has a bunch of commitments, and you know how he is about me traveling by myself.”

  “I don’t blame him, Sarah. Look at all the garbage that has happened to you, and that was before you announced the engagement.”

  “Well, it’s not like him being with me makes it any easier to travel. He’s always recognized. It takes twice as long as it should to go anywhere. At least I can slip in and out under the radar usually—not yesterday, though. Some idiot followed me all day long when I was meeting with the wedding planner.” Sarah caught herself. She’d almost started talking about the wedding, and she had told herself she wasn’t going to do that.

  “That’s exactly why he’s so worried about you. There are crazies everywhere. He feels responsible for you being in danger all the time.”

  “It was just paparazzi. I’m not in danger. It’s not like I’m ever alone, anyway. We have a whole team of security now, not just Sam. I mean, I can’t even use the bathroom by myself.”

  “Ew, too much information.”

  “No, I just mean there’s always someone standing outside the door, as if I’m going to be knifed in the bathroom stall or something.”

  “He’s just worried about you.”

  “Shut up! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

  “I am on your side, but I think Jon’s right. You need to be cautious—at least until after the wedding. I read somewhere that the pop star Fretti got into her car one day and some psycho fan was waiting in her backseat with duct tape. If her boyfriend hadn’t been three cars down and heard her scream, who knows what would have happened?”

  “I’m not a pop star, and you know that ninety percent of what you read about celebrities is fake, right?”

  “Yeah, but I saw her talk about it in an interview too. I know you would like to deny it, but most gossip is spawned by seeds in the real world.”

  “You’ve been cyber stalking us with my mom, haven’t you?” Sarah could tell by Jessica’s tone that she was holding back.

  “Your mom isn’t that bad, and yes, I see her all the time. She’s worried about you.”

  “Did she see the pictures of Jon with Natalie?”

  “Yeah,” Jessica said in a subdued voice.

  “You think that’s why I called, don’t you? He’s not cheating on me. It was just a couple of business dinners. That’s all. There were a bunch of people with them. They’re going to be doing a film together.”

  “So, what’s up, then?”

  “I don’t know. I’m bored—or lonely?” Sarah declared, not really sure what she was feeling.

  “I know you and Jon go out all the time. I see you on Celebrity News every other night. The press wants more public displays of affection, by the way, just in case no one has told you.”

  “We really don’t go out much because Jon is always mobbed. We definitely don’t go out as much as I did back home, and I’m not PDAing on camera just so the press can dissect our every lip and hand movement. I love Jon, but I just need to hang out with the girls once in a while.”

  “No girls in California?”

  “No, I just don’t have any friends—not that I trust, anyway. Everyone acts like my best friend, but it’s just because of Jon. I can talk to Leslie, but I never know how much is filtering back to Jon. Not that I keep secrets from him,” Sarah assured. “But it’s girl stuff, and his cousin shares everything with him.”

  “So come for a visit. Bring a bodyguard.”

  “Actually, I was wondering if you, Alli, and Megan could come out to LA for the weekend. I’ll send you the plane tickets, and you can stay at the house with us.”

  “So you and Jon stopped arguing about money, then?”

  “Yeah, I caved.”

  “So did he give you a credit card or something?”

  “Yep, but that’s not all. Jon added my name to all his bank accounts, and I added him to mine—like that mattered. It almost killed his accountant. The accountant wanted to set up an expense account for me like Leslie’s, but Jon said no. He says we’re equal partners and we need to mesh our lives completely. He doesn’t want me to have to ask him for money, so I have full access. He says that I just have to accept that I don’t really have an income right now, and since we’re getting married, I have to get used to sharing. Besides, I know I’ll never make as much money as he does, and everything is so expensive out here. He keeps telling me to stop worrying about money and just enjoy life. He’s been bugging me to have you guys out. So what do you say?”

  “I’m up for it, but let me ask Megan and Alli,” said Jessica. “Sarah is on the phone and wants to know if we can come out to the coast for the weekend—on Jon’s dime.”

  “Are you kidding? Yeah! I’m there,” answered Megan. Sarah could hear her clearly in the background.

  “Let me talk to Sarah.” Alli grabbed the phone from Jessica. “Sarah, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong. I just miss you guys.”

  “So, you gave up on the money thing?”

  “It was futile. Can you come on Friday after class? We could go to the beach or just hang out at the pool. It’s in the seventies and sunny. And the shopping is unbelievable.”

  “That sounds great. I think it was twenty-six this morning when I caught the bus. I had to wear mittens and my winter jacket. I’m putting you on speaker, OK?”

  “Megan, you have the last class at two thirty, right?”

  “No, I dropped that class. I didn’t need it. Besides, I hate having class on Fridays, and the TA was a douche,” admitted Megan.

  “All teaching assistants are douches,” Jessica proclaimed, and Sarah could hear the smile on her face.

  “Hey!” Alli protested.

  “Alli is dating her TA from organic chemistry. He’s Indian,” revealed Jessica.

  “I’m pretty sure TAs aren’t supposed to date undergrads. How did that happen?” asked Sarah.

  “We’re not dating, and he’s not from India—his parents are.”

  “You meet him for coffee almost every day, and he calls you all the time. Most TAs don’t do that, especially when you’re not in their class anymore,” Megan remarked.

  “Well, at least I’m not back together with a guy I’ve been avoiding for four years,” Alli stated.

  Sarah groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re back together with Chase. Megan, what are you thinking?” She got up and started pacing through the house. She couldn’t believe Jessica and Alli could have let this happen.

  “We’re not back together. We were just catching up,” claimed Megan.

  “Yeah. I thought you said you would only meet with him in public. Your room with the door closed is not public,” Alli snapped.

  “Megan, how many times did you say never again? You can’t get back with Chase. You promised,” said Sarah.

  “I’m not. I was tempted, but I’m not.”

  “Really? You’ve already given him more chances then you should give any guy. He’s going to hurt you again.” Sarah said.

  “It’s not the same.”

  “Just be careful. He’s your kryptonite,” Sarah warned, exasperated. She pulled her long dark hair into a loose bundle at her neck before
sitting down at the kitchen table. She looked out into the courtyard at the shimmering pool, trying to figure out why Megan would even go near Chase after all the crap he had put her through.

  The courtyard was blissful with stone paths methodically designed to look natural as they weaved their trails from one gathering spot to another. Jon’s parents purchased the house when Jon was eight. Jon’s dad had received a large monetary payout from a big studio movie he directed at the time and put almost all of his earnings toward the purchase and remodel of the house. The entire estate was gorgeous, but Sarah’s favorite place was the courtyard.

  She thought about her life back home. It still snowed this time of year in Minnesota—not that often, but she could remember at least a couple of big snowstorms in April in her twenty-one years. Her life was so different now, but part of her wished it wasn’t.

  “It’s a good thing you guys are getting away for the weekend. It sounds like all hell is breaking loose there,” she said.

  “I can’t wait to tell you everything. We can be at the airport anytime after two on Friday, our time,” said Jessica.

  “Great, I’ll get it all set up and get back to you this afternoon,” said Sarah. She listened to her old housemates chatter about what they were going to wear on the trip and what they needed to pack. She liked to hear them interact. It made her feel like she was back at home.

  As she listened, she looked up to see Jonathan crossing the courtyard from the main house. He had been working out with his personal trainer for the last ninety minutes in the main house’s weight room. He wore athletic shorts with no shirt and had a white towel draped over his shoulders. His dark hair curled up in its damp state, and he pushed it out of his eyes as he passed the pool’s diving board. His well-defined muscles glistened with sweat, and Sarah forgot she was on the phone for a second as she watched him. His ice-blue eyes brightened when they met hers through the glass french doors, and when he opened the door, a warm breeze blew in with just a hint of the fragrant orange blossoms from the trees up on the hill.

  Sarah held her hand over the mouthpiece for a second and mouthed, “It’s the girls.”

  Jonathan leaned into the phone and said, “Hi, ladies,” before touching his lips gently to Sarah’s neck just below her left ear—her favorite spot.

  Sarah chuckled as Jon continued to kiss her. “Jon says hi.”

  The girls all responded in unison. “Hey, Jon.”

  “So I’ll talk to you guys soon.” They said their good-byes, and Sarah set her phone on the table as she turned to Jon. “You are very distracting.”

  He smiled his perfect smile, revealing the single dimple on his right cheek. “Want to hit the pool? The water is warm, and I didn’t see anyone at the gate.”

  “There are no paparazzi outside?”

  Jon shook his head. “No one’s at the main house, either. I’m going to rinse off and grab my trunks.”

  Sarah needed to line up the flight for her friends before she went swimming, so she was going to call Jon’s assistant first for some help. “OK, I’ll meet you out there after I call Leslie.”

  “In your bikini?” he pleaded with wide eyes. “Please?”

  Sarah hadn’t worn her bikini since the car accident that almost took her life. She didn’t feel comfortable showing the ugly scars on her abdomen. She scrunched her nose and scowled just a little. “Not yet.”

  This wasn’t the first time Jonathan had specifically asked her to wear her bikini and she refused. He sighed and walked into the living room without another word.

  Jon knew that she was still self-conscious about the scars. He wished she wasn’t. He felt responsible for the accident that had disfigured her, and it hurt him to see her so insecure.

  He made his way toward the bedroom to change and paused when he saw her silver laptop open on the couch. Colorful bubbles danced across the screen, but he could see the website behind them. He stared at it a moment, picking it up to get a closer look. His engagement photo was clearly visible on the wall in the dining room at Sarah’s parents’ house. With his hands fisting tighter on either side of the keyboard, it took all his restraint to not smash the computer against the wall.

  He and Sarah had talked about this. With all the trouble they had been having with their personal life being leaked to the press, why would she log on to this site? It was known for how easy it was to hack. And why was their engagement photo in the background? That was just asking for trouble. He almost called for Sarah to explain, but instead, he squished his eyes together and took a deep breath. He knew she missed her friends, and he felt guilty for stealing her from them. He set the laptop back on the couch, then clicked on the red box with the X in the corner of the screen to close the site before heading out of the room.

  Susan Schussler loves the happy endings found in fiction because they inspire real life dreams. Growing up the youngest of eight children in a small house helped her develop a strong understanding of and respect for others’ points of view. As a labor and delivery nurse, with her first degree in Dietetics, she has worn many career hats, but staying home to raise her children has been her most rewarding, so far, and has allowed her pursue her passion for writing. Schussler draws upon her hectic childhood and the diverse individuals she encountered throughout her life to help formulate the unique characters within her stories.

  Schussler currently lives near St. Paul/Minneapolis with her husband and three sons. She enjoys spending afternoons on the lakes with family and friends, and though she hates to admit it, when she’s not writing or chauffeuring her children, you may find her catching up on celebrity news.

  For updates on coming releases visit her at www.susanschussler.com.

  First, I need to thank my lifelong friend and content editor, Marianne Lenz whom once told me, “Just write it. It doesn’t matter if it gets published. You can always leave it for your kids to read as part of your legacy.” My Legacy? Do I have a legacy? Your words made it sound less scary and were just what I needed to get started. Thank you for being the wall where I could bounce ideas and for always being honest with me. Thank you for hashing out chapters, well past the time normal people (including our families) went to bed, and for always encouraging me to keep going. You have made me a stronger person and a better writer.

  Thank you to Mary Harycki, whose courage and sheer capacity to give all of herself to others has always inspired me. You are truly a remarkable woman. Thank you for your kind words, even on the earliest versions of this book and for pushing me to publish it. I don’t think I could have made this journey without you. You always make time to cheer me on and help me with whatever I need, even when you have a million other life distractions to sort through, and I am so grateful to have you in my life.

  Thank you to Cathy Endres, Stasia Harycki and Katya Harycki—your enthusiasm for not only Between the Raindrops, but for my other books, has kept me writing. I still laugh thinking about the fervor expressed as chapters and laptops were passed back and forth on our trip to San Antonio. You three are a great resource of information and I am thankful for all of your insight and assistance.

  Thank you to Jan Keane, Leta Keane, Kavita Monteiro and Sara Corbin for your feedback and support. Whether it was over long distance calls, over drinks at Gordy’s or on long walks—each, in your own way, has helped evolve this book and has kept me motivated. I am sorry about my comma dyslexia—thanks for deciphering. You are indispensable and I appreciate your very valuable time and wisdom.

  Thank you to my mother for cultivating creativity in your children from an early age and for giving me your sense of humor. I wish cancer hadn’t taken you. I still have so many questions about life.

  Thank you to my sons for not making too much fun of me when I spoke about my characters as if they were real people, and for always asking for clarification when you were confused. “Is that your friend, Sara or your character?” Thank you for sharing your perspective and for always making me laugh.

  Finally and most im
portantly, I want to thank my husband, Tom, for your infinite patience and your encouragement that allowed me to devote so many hours to Between the Raindrops. Without you, I would not know true love and this book would have been impossible to write. I love you.