Just One Look - Leah and Lance (Crossroads Book 15)

by Melanie Shawn

  If she’d never kissed him, she wondered if things would still be the same. And if they were, would she be this shattered about his departure? Would she be more destroyed?

  Or…would they have kept in touch and been pen pals? Would he have stayed with her every time he came to town to visit his grandparents? Would they have become best friends and, after years of friendship and pent up sexual desire, he’d show up on her doorstep, declare his undying love for her, get down on one knee and propose?

  She guessed she’d never know.

  “Morning!” Bea cheerily called out as she entered the back of the shop, Indy and Bagel trailing beside her.

  “Hello, family,” Leah greeted the trio.

  Bagel ignored her and walked directly to Indy’s dog bed, did three circles, and plopped down with a sigh. Indy, the sweet, lovable, goof that he was, said hi first to Leah and then to Casper before curling up on Bagel’s tiny bed.

  There were several other beds scattered around the shop that were Indy’s Great Dane size, but Indy always chose Bagel’s tiny one. Leah suspected it was because he loved the attention it got him. Every time a customer came in and saw him all scrunched up, his legs hanging over the much-too-small bed, they made a huge fuss over him. They alternated between feeling sorry for him that Bagel “stole” his bed, and gushing about how cute he was.

  “Wow, he looks so good!” Bea beamed as she leaned down to pet Casper.

  “This is his last day of medication and he’s already put on eight pounds.” Leah felt like a proud mom.

  Dogs were so resilient. Given similar circumstances, she did not see herself bouncing back as quickly as he had.

  After her sister loved on Casper, she stood and faced Leah. When she did, her forehead wrinkled. “What’s wrong?”

  Leah didn’t think that Bea was using twin telepathy to figure out that there was something wrong. She was sure that her eyes and nose were rimmed red thanks to the tears she’d unwillingly shed.

  “Lance is leaving tomorrow.” Emotion clogged in her throat.

  “And you still haven’t talked to him?”

  “I’ve talked to him, but no, I haven’t talked to him. He’s been different…distant. It’s not the same between us.” And I miss it so bad it hurts. Physically hurts.

  She didn’t tell her sister that part. It was too embarrassing. What sort of self-respecting woman, or man for that matter, fell to pieces over someone they’d met ten days earlier? She had way too much pride to admit that. Out loud, anyway.

  “He hasn’t said anything more about…his past?” Bea whispered the last two words, like she was afraid someone might hear.

  “No.” Leah wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so defeated. Sure, there’d been some dark times when Bea was grieving, when Leah hadn’t known what to do for her, that she’d felt helpless and scared, but she’d always had hope that she’d figure it out. That they’d figure it out together. This time she had no hope.

  Sensing her twin’s despair, Bea’s arms flew around her sister’s neck. Leah hugged her back, trying to take some comfort in the fact that at least she had Bea. Lance might’ve emotionally wormed his way into being Leah’s person, but thankfully her backup would always be there for her.

  The sisters were still embracing when Jasmine came in through the front entrance of the shop. She wasn’t scheduled to work so Leah was surprised to see her.

  She turned toward her. “Hey, Jazzy, what’s up?”

  Jasmine glanced around the shop, clearly checking to see if there were any customers, and then joined the sisters at the counter.

  She spoke in a whisper. “I just finished my morning shift at the clinic, and Meg told me Lance was in prison for eight years for murder.”

  Leah hated that this topic was a subject of gossip, but she totally understood why it would be. If she’d been locked up for all that time, she’d assume that people would discuss it behind her back. Hell, she assumed people discussed a lot less interesting details about her life behind her back as it was.

  “Manslaughter,” Bea and Leah corrected her in unison.

  Jasmine’s jaw dropped slightly as she looked at the twins. “You knew?”

  “Yep. He told me,” Leah confirmed.

  “Did he tell you what happened?”

  “No,” Bea and Leah answered at the same time.

  “Did Meg have any information?” Bea followed up.

  “Yes.” Jasmine nodded.

  Leah’s heart clenched. She wanted to know what Meg had said, but she also didn’t want to know. She felt as if she were going behind Lance’s back, but since he was leaving tomorrow, she guessed it didn’t really matter.

  “It’s pretty sad, actually. Apparently, when Lance was a kid, like thirteen or fourteen, he and two of his friends decided to rob a liquor store. He wasn’t armed, I guess he was the lookout. But his friends were. One of them shot the owner and they ran. Lance stayed, called 911, and performed CPR on the clerk. He was still there when the ambulance and police showed up. They arrested him on the spot.

  “The clerk died a few days later. He wouldn’t tell the police who his friends were, and I guess that pissed them off. They convinced the DA to try him as an adult for voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery. He was sentenced to twenty years. He got out early for good behavior.

  “Meg said that in prison he was in a program where he worked with shelter dogs, training them and learning some vet skills. Doc thought that he might become a veterinarian, but obviously he had another calling.”

  So much was going through Leah’s mind. He stayed. He could’ve left the man to die, but he’d stayed and tried to save him.

  When Lance’d first told her that he’d been in prison for manslaughter, it didn’t make any sense to Leah. She’d basically chalked it up to him being young, but this—this story totally tracked. This sounded exactly like Lance.

  Leah was just about to ask if Meg knew anything else when a couple came in asking about the grooming services for their Yorkie, Peanut. Bea helped them and Jasmine gave a wave before ducking out with a quick, “See you tomorrow!”

  Although Leah had some answers to the questions that had been gnawing at her, she still wanted to know more. Needed to know more.

  Plus, getting the information from Meg was even more removed than second hand. Sure, the woman had worked at the vet office for over twenty years, so she most likely had the right story. It didn’t matter. Most likely wasn’t going to cut it. Leah wanted to know for sure.

  Armed with more details, Leah put on her snorkel and jumped back into the internet waters for another deep dive. Within ten minutes she was able to find three newspaper articles on the armed robbery and unfortunate death of the clerk. Lance’s name was omitted since he was a minor, but all the details fit.

  She read that Arturo Ortega owned the corner bodega for forty years. He left behind a wife and five children. The youngest was only seven when her father died. There was a picture of his wife and children entering the courthouse. The oldest son, who was twenty, was stoic, but the rest of the family were in tears.

  Leah couldn’t imagine what that information must do to Lance, the burden that he must be carrying. She wanted to hug him, to carry some of the pain for him. She was still reading when a message popped up on the shop’s FB.

  Leah clicked on it and before she read a single line, she saw pictures that made her heart plummet to the floor. There were at least a dozen of Casper and a little boy. First when the boy was a baby and Casper a puppy. Then pictures of the boy as they both grew up.

  There were some of the boy as a toddler at the park, a few at birthday parties, the last one was of the boy wearing a backpack, like he was going to school. He looked to be around seven.

  The message attached caused Leah’s heart to drop even further.

  Hello,

  My name is Rebecca and this is my son Owen and our dog Thor. Six weeks ago my son and I had to move unexpectedly and I was not able to take my dog with me. The circumstances
surrounding our departure are sensitive. PLEASE do not share with anyone that I have contacted you!

  I am just writing to see if Thor is okay. I have tried to follow up online but have not seen any updates.

  Also, I would love nothing more than to get Thor back home with us, but I have relocated and am now hundreds of miles away. I’m not in the financial position to fly him out to me, also, he is scared of planes and I don’t want him to be put through any more trauma.

  One more thing, I ask that when he is adopted out he goes to a family with kids. Thor’s an amazing dog for adults, but being a nanny is really his gift. My son is heartbroken, shattered over losing him. I know that Thor must be as well. I know he misses his boy and the only way I can think of him living his best life is to make sure that he has another boy or girl to take care of.

  Thank you for saving my boy,

  Rebecca

  Leah clicked on Rebecca’s profile and saw that she had no pictures and no friends. She didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to have a pretty good idea of what happened. Rebecca was the “wife” that Martin was talking about. She must have left his abusive ass and not been able to take Thor with her. It was infuriating, imagining the things Rebecca must’ve endured living with the man. It made Leah’s skin crawl.

  The unfairness of life bubbled up inside of Leah. All of the loss swirled in her. Bea losing Jordan. Doc and Kitty losing Miles. The Ortega family losing Arturo. Lance losing his nonno. Her about to lose Lance. Maybe not to death, but she was still losing him.

  Leah might not be able to do anything about the past, but she could definitely do something about the future. With determination she wrote Rebecca back, knowing that this, this was the one wrong she could right.

  Chapter 17

  “So I heard you’re getting out of here tomorrow,” Lance said, smiling at his grandmother. She looked so much stronger than she had when he’d first seen her, just a little over a week ago.

  “Yes, I am. I can’t wait. Before I go, did you meet Dr. Gresham? He said he’s a big fan of yours.” His grandma clapped her hands.

  One of Lance’s pet peeves was hearing anyone referred to as a “fan” of his.

  “He likes my work,” Lance corrected. There was a very big difference. “Yes, I met him. He seems like a great doctor.”

  “He is.”

  Lance nodded. He’d been at the hospital for about four hours and visiting hours were ending in five minutes. It was time to say goodbye. “I wanted to let you know that I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  Lance couldn’t stay in Harper’s Crossing one more day. He was having a really difficult time staying away from Leah. She was like a magnet and he was metal. He was drawn to her in ways he couldn’t explain and didn’t completely understand.

  He’d stayed to make sure that Casper was out of the woods, and he was well on his way to a full recovery.

  His grandmother was getting released tomorrow, she was also on her way to a full recovery. There was nothing else for him to do in Harper’s Crossing. If he stayed any longer, he knew that a line would be crossed with Leah, and that couldn’t happen. Logically, he knew that. Emotionally and physically, he wasn’t quite sold on that being a bad idea.

  Part of him wanted to believe that she was different, that she was worth putting himself out there again. But what would be the point? He didn’t believe in happily ever afters, at least not for him. Why would he put either of them through trying if it was ultimately going to fail?

  He cared about her too much for that. She deserved better than that. Better than him.

  His grandfather knew that. It was why he’d warned him about Leah. Lance was just starting to build a relationship with him and the last thing he wanted to do was cause an issue between them when he knew that the relationship would never last.

  He’d done what he came here to do. He’d gotten to know his grandparents, and in doing so, gotten to know his dad. He’d learned all about the man who’d always been such a huge mystery to him.

  Once he’d told his grandparents that he wanted to know about their son, the floodgates had opened. He’d sat and listened for hours and hours and, although he’d never gotten to meet his father, at least now he felt like he knew the man.

  Lance continued, “I’m going to take off in the morning and head back to Florida.”

  “Doc did you hear that?” His grandmother swatted at his grandfather’s arm. He’d fallen asleep in the reclining chair beside the bed close to an hour earlier.

  “Huh? What? What’s wrong?” He straightened and looked around, clearly disorientated.

  “Lance is leaving. Tomorrow morning!” She spoke louder.

  “Leaving? Huh?”

  “Tell him.” This time it was Lance’s arm that got swatted.

  Lance complied, telling his grandfather, “I’m going home. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

  His grandparents exchanged looks before Doc cleared his throat. “Your grandma and I wanted to talk to you before you left. We thought we’d do it at the house, but since you’re heading back, I guess we should do it now. We wanted to say…” Doc’s eyes watered and he cleared his throat.

  Kitty patted Lance’s hand. “Your grandpa and I wanted to tell you that we’re sorry.”

  Doc nodded and wiped beneath his eyes, pushing his glasses up to his forehead.

  “We should’ve been there for you when you were growing up, especially when you were going through all of the legal issues.” Now it was Kitty who was tearing up.

  “It’s fine,” Lance assured them both.

  “No, it’s not.” His grandfather’s tone was firm and commanding. “I’m not trying to make excuses but your mother didn’t make it easy on us to see you. She had her troubles when she was with Miles and we weren’t the most welcoming to her. I understand her not wanting us, but she really made it impossible.”

  “That’s not an excuse.” Kitty’s lips were tight as tears pooled in her bottom lids. “We failed you and we failed your father. You needed us and we weren’t there.”

  “It’s fine. I got through it.” Lance wasn’t sure where all of this was coming from. To him it felt very out of the blue.

  Doc sat up straighter. “The whole thing snowballed. When you were young, we’d try to see you. We’d fly to New York at least, what Kitty?”

  “At least twice a year,” Kitty offered.

  “Yes, at least twice a year. We’d have plans and we’d get there and your mom would cancel and say that it wasn’t a good time. The few times we did manage to see you, we worked it out through your mom’s parents when she wasn’t around.”

  Lance thought back and realized that the times he’d seen Doc and Kitty, he’d been staying with his grandparents because his mom was “on a trip.” He’d never known where she’d gone or when she’d be back. When he was young, he didn’t understand. Now he knew that it was the drugs.

  “Then there was all that trouble when you were a teenager and we just didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know how to help you. And once you were an adult, well, honestly Lance, we didn’t think you’d want to see us.” Kitty sniffed.

  “Why wouldn’t I want to see you?”

  “Well because, because…” His grandfather stumbled over his words. “We weren’t there for you when you needed us.”

  “We’ve been so ashamed of ourselves.” His grandmother added.

  Lance couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I thought…I thought that you were ashamed of me.”

  “Ashamed of you? No!” Kitty shook her head. “Never! We were never ashamed of you. Why would we be ashamed of you?”

  “Because of the robbery and…”

  “You were a kid and you tried to save that man!” his grandfather insisted.

  “But I didn’t save him.”

  “No, no, no.” Kitty shook her head. “Don’t think like that. You did what you could. And that’s all in the past. Look what you’ve made of yourself. You’re so talented! Such a success. And with all you
’ve had against you. We are so proud of you, it was ourselves we were embarrassed of.”

  Like his grandparents, Lance could feel himself choking up. Since he wasn’t comfortable showing emotion, he abruptly stood and gave first his grandma and then his grandpa a hug.

  “I’ll check on you tomorrow night, when I get home,” Lance promised as he started to leave the room.

  “We hope to see you soon!” His grandma exclaimed.

  “Do you think you’ll be keeping in touch with Leah?” His grandfather asked, in what sounded like a hopeful tone.

  “No.” Lance shook his head.

  His grandparents exchanged weighted looks before Doc sighed, “Aw, that’s too bad.”

  “Too bad? I thought you wanted me to stay away from her?”

  “Why would you think that?” Doc implored.

  “When you called, that first morning, it sounded like you were warning me.”

  “I was. I was warning you not to take her at face value. That girl likes to show her tough side, her wild side, but she’s so much more than that. I wanted you to get to know her, the real her.”

  “I thought you were warning me to stay away from her.” Lance couldn’t believe how wrong he’d been about so much. His grandparents hadn’t been ashamed of him. The opposite. And his grandfather wasn’t telling him to stay away from Leah, they wanted him to get to know her.

  “Why would I do that? You two are perfect for each other.”

  “He planned the whole thing,” his grandmother chimed in. “Your grandpa made a big show of you not having a place to stay when Bea was here because he knew that Leah had that extra room.”

  “And she took the bait,” his grandpa declared proudly before his shoulders slumped. “Fat lot of good it did, though.”

  “I can’t believe you two didn’t hit it off,” Kitty shook her head. “I might’ve been drugged when your grandpa told me his scheme but even I thought you would find her irresistible.”

  He did. In fact, that was the perfect way to describe her.