When the work week was over and Saturday finally rolled around, I decided to wake up a little early. Even though it was my day off, I still had a lot of things to do. My parents, who lived on the other side of town from me, were having a BBQ. It was always a huge event and it only seemed to grow every year. Half the town would end up making an appearance. Some I'm pretty sure only came for the free food, but others were genuinely interested in keeping in touch with my parents.
My dad was an active member of the town's Gentleman's Poker Society and my mother went to every Ladies' Bridge Club meeting. The poker games were real, but the bridge games were just a means to gossip and plan out the lives of everyone else in the town. All the important people in town were members, which meant that despite having a strange daughter, my parents were pillars of the community and that everyone knew who they were.
The thought crossed my mind that this might be my dad's last BBQ and my ribs tightened around my heart. I shook my head, trying not to be negative. If this was his last BBQ, I was going to make sure it was a good one and not bring gloomy thoughts with me.
I rolled out of bed and looked out my window at the morning sunshine. The view that sprawled in front of me was like something out of a farmer's magazine. My house was on the outside of town, which meant that my backyard consisted of nothing but miles and miles of corn fields. I found it beautiful and incredibly peaceful, especially in the early summer, when the corn stalks were still dark green. It looked like an ocean of lush foliage against a bright blue sky, laid out in front of me as far as the eye could see.
In the distance, a lonely red tractor puttered across my view. The sound of the motor combined with the sweet smell of summer grass triggered childhood memories. I opened the window and drew in a long breath, sucking up the humid air.
There are things I love about this place, I thought. It's worth it to be back here.
Shutting the window, I wrapped myself in my robe and went downstairs to start a pot of coffee. While it heated up, I glanced around my little house. Fifty years ago, it had been my grandparent's farm house. When my grandparents passed years ago, they'd left it to my parents and they'd used it as a second home for guests. When we got my dad's diagnosis, they were happy to give it to me so I could be close.
I smiled as I looked around the cheerful yellow kitchen with an old avocado colored stove and worn cabinets. I had so many happy childhood memories in this place. My mother and I would spend summer afternoons in this kitchen, chatting with my grandmother as she baked cookies. My mother taught me how to make a casserole in this kitchen when I was sixteen.
My phone rang and I walked across the small living room to answer it. The caller ID said it was Karina, my oldest friend.
“Hello,” I said warmly into the phone, expecting to hear my friend's voice.
“Aunt Hannah!” a small girl squealed instead. It was Leigh Ann, Karina's six year old daughter.
“Well, good morning,” I said, a smile filling my face. “How's my favorite goddaughter doing today?”
“I'm good,” she replied. “I wanted to make sure you were coming to the BBQ today.
Mom said she wasn't sure.”“Of course I'll be there,” I promised. “I wouldn't miss it.”
“Good, because I miss you, Aunt Hannah,” Leigh Ann said. “I want to see you.”
My heart melted and it was all I could do to not tear up. “I miss you, too. I'm looking forward to seeing you today. Maybe we can play horseshoes.”
“Yay! Horseshoes!” Leigh Ann squealed. “Mom! Aunt Hannah said she'll play horseshoes with me.”
“That's great, honey.” I heard Leigh Ann's mom, Karina, in the background. We'd been best friends since the third grade when we snuck frogs into Mrs. Stone's lunchbox.
“Can I talk to your mom real quick?” I asked Leigh Ann.
“Yeah, here she is,” Leigh Ann said.
A moment later, Karina came on the line.
“Hey,” she greeted me. “I hear your in town, but I haven't seen you for more than five minutes.”
I chuckled, knowing that we'd stayed so long in a restaurant we were kicked out just a week before. Still, for being in town, I hadn't seen my friend as much as I would have liked.
“I know, and I'm sorry. I'm still getting settled,” I said. “I think I'm finally settled in at work. We'll do something soon. Promise.”
“Good. I need some more wine time,” Karina replied. “Leigh Ann, do not climb on the counter tops. If you need to climb something, you can go outside.”
From the background I heard a “but, Mo-om,” followed by a brief pause and then the sound of the backdoor opening and shutting.
“How long until summer is over?” Karina asked. “I don't know if I'm going to make it.”
“It's barely June,” I replied with a chuckle. “She driving you crazy already?”
“Yes. Her kindergarten teacher was a saint. I can't wait for her to start school again.”
“She's going to be in first grade this year, right?” I asked, shaking my head. I couldn't believe my little goddaughter was already in first grade. It felt like just yesterday that she was born. I was one of the few people that Karina had wanted in the delivery room, and thus was one of the first to meet Leigh Ann.
“Yup. She's so excited for the full day, but I'm thinking I'm looking forward to it more,” Karina joked.
“You realize in two years, Leigh Ann will be the same age that we were when we met?”
“My God, that's scary to think about,” she said, laughing. “I really hope she doesn't pull the frog stunt. I was grounded for a month after that.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said. “Worth it though.”
“Definitely. Seeing that mean old teacher scream was awesome.” She laughed and let out a nostalgic sigh. “Anyway, do you want me to bring anything specific to the BBQ today?”
“I can ask my parents, but I'm guessing that you don't need to worry about it,” I said. “They'll probably have tons of food and drinks. Maybe bring some chips and salsa if you have some.”
“I can do that,” she said. “Well, I don't need to keep you on the phone since I'll being seeing you in a couple of hours. Just wanted to hear your voice since I've almost forgotten what it sounded like.”
“Very funny. We both know you couldn't ever forget my voice,” I said. “But yes, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys today.”
“Me too,” she replied. “And I know Leigh Ann is. All she has been talking about all week is how excited she is to see her Aunt Hannah.”
“Aw, that's sweet,” I said. “Tell her I can't wait to see her, too.”
“Will do,” Karina said. “Oh, hey. I heard Dr. Mathews might come. Is that true?”
My heart skipped a beat at his name. “I haven't heard, but I did invite him.”
“I wanted him to check this bug bite on Leigh Ann,” Karina explained. “It's just so red.”
“I'll make sure to take a look at it,” I promised. “If it's bad, I'll let you know.”
“You can do that?” Karina asked.
“I'm a nurse, so yes.” I shrugged.
“I didn't know you knew stuff like that,” Karina replied.
“Why do you think I went to school for four years?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “I don't just wear a short skirt and say 'thank you, doctor' in a breathy voice all day. I actually know medical things.”
“Whoa, sorry.” I could hear Karina take a step back. “I didn't mean to insult you.”
I sighed. “No, I'm sorry. It's just that everybody in town thinks I don't do anything. That I didn't get a crap ton of training and experience.”
“We've just never had a real nurse like you before,” Karina explained. “Dr. Mathews is lucky to have you. We all are.”
“Thanks.” I sighed again. “We good?”
“We're always good,” Karina assured me. “Hey, is it weird to work with Dr. Mathews? I mean, you tutored him in high school and now he's your boss.”
“He's changed since high school,” I told her. “He's not a punk kid anymore.”
“Thank heaven. Remember when he punched out Aiden for drinking all his booze at that after party?”
“Yeah.” I shook my head. It seemed like Jacob Mathews was always in trouble when we were in school. If you wanted booze or a party, he was the guy to go to. He had been trouble back then.
“He's a lot better now. There's no way I'd let him touch my kid otherwise,” Karina agreed. “Okay, I'll see you in a couple hours. Thanks for looking at the bite. ”
“Anytime.”
She hung up the phone and I did the same. I walked over to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. It was good and warm in my hands as I took a sip.
I looked out my window and toward town. My thoughts went to Dr. Mathews and how much he'd changed since high school. How much we'd both changed.
I wasn't quite such an ugly duckling. He wasn't the bad boy. I let my thoughts drift to the first day that we really talked. The first day that my crush went into overdrive.
JacksonHis mouth twitched like he wanted to smile at her. She raised her hand and tried to appear like this wasn’t breaking her heart. If anyone was looking, they would think she was here for moral support and that nothing was wrong.“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for joining me today. First, I’d like to address the vicious rumors going around that I am involved with a woman other than my fiancée. I want to state expressly that this is a bald-faced lie.” He paused and smiled around the room. “And I have proof.”Emma couldn’t help but gasp. So did several reporters.“If you’ll please turn your attention to the screen here,” Jackson said, motioning to a flat screen TV near him. He clicked a small button and the screen came to life. “This is security footage from a small sailboat in the dock. It was overlooked at first, but as with many good things, it warranted a second look.”Emma wondered if he meant something more by that statement, but didn’t have time to ponder it as the securit
JacksonJackson went back up to his apartment, got in the shower, and cried.He hadn’t cried since he was five years old and his pet turtle died. He hadn’t cried like this when his parents died. He didn’t know that it was possible for a grown man to feel this much hurt inside.He had screwed up. Big time.Why hadn’t he just told her? He could have come home from the party and told her then. He could have mentioned it the next day. It would have been so easy.He wanted to say it was to protect her. He wanted to believe it was because he was keeping her calm for the baby.But that was a lie.He was doing it to protect himself. He was afraid she would leave him. That she wouldn’t smile up at him like he was the best thing in the world. That she wouldn’t tease him or make him laugh because she would finally see his true nature.And he had made it a self-fulfilling prophecy. By not telling her, he had ruined things. He had broken their trust.He should have told her that he loved her the m
EmmaEmma didn’t know it was possible to cry this much. She didn’t know that she had this many tears inside of her. She didn’t know that it was possible to feel this much pain from just one lie.He kissed another woman.He didn’t love her.She was obviously nothing to him.She sat on her couch in her tiny apartment, mindlessly eating a pint of ice cream that she stole from his fridge, and cried.The worst part was that she didn’t even feel like she had the right to cry. It was in the contract that they could see other people. Their relationship was never meant to be about love. They were a business relationship. It was always supposed to be a way to keep the bad boy’s business happy. She was only ever supposed to be the good girl image.Yet, it still hurt. It hurt more than she ever thought possible.He had cheated on her. Just because she had suspected this day might come didn’t make it easier. When they had first started this arrangement, she thought she could handle it. She had tho
JacksonJackson sat at his desk, head in his hands. He didn’t know how to fix this one. He had screwed up. It wasn’t really his fault, but now that it was happening, he could see a million different ways he could have prevented this.‘If onlys’ whispered through his mind. He could have pushed the woman away sooner. He should have never been alone. He should have told Emma right away.That was the one that hurt the most. He should have come straight home and told her that a strange woman had kissed him. She would have forgiven him then. She would have understood.He sighed. Now it was too late. He’d kept the kiss to himself. For the first twenty-four hours, he thought he was safe. There were no news stories, no leaks. He had thought that it really was just an over-eager business student.And then came the phone calls. Nearly the instant it hit the tabloids, he was deluged by phone calls.Now there was a note from his housekeeper that Emma had moved all of her things out.He ran his han
EmmaEmma groaned, finally giving up on her nap. Exhaustion still tugged on her, but her phone simply wouldn’t stop buzzing or chiming. Unfortunately, it was on the kitchen table and a good ten steps away from the couch she currently was very comfortable on.The chime went off again. She thought about just leaving it there, but it was plugged in. The chimes would never stop since it would never run out of battery. Besides, that many text messages, emails, and phone calls had to be something important.With a groan, she threw her feet to the floor and sat up from the couch. She just wanted to nap today. This being pregnant thing was harder than she expected. She remembered her friend Grace’s pregnancy being easy. The only thing Grace had was an aversion to the smell of cooked chicken. Emma seemed to have an aversion to everything.She stood up and walked zombie like to the kitchen table. She picked up her phone and started making some ginger tea while she checked what was making her ph
Jackson“I don’t have to go,” Jackson told the beautiful woman laying in bed.Emma rolled over and hugged the bowl closer to her chest.“And what are you going to do if you stay here? Sit and watch me throw up?” she asked, motioning to the bowl.Morning sickness had hit her hard. He’d been surprised to learn that it really should be called All Day sickness as it didn’t occur just in the morning. It actually seemed to be worse for Emma right before bed.“I don’t like leaving you,” he said, softly. He sat on the edge of the bed and caressed her hair. She hummed slightly, leaning into him.“I’ll be fine,” she promised. “Honestly, I just want to lay in bed, drink the ginger tea you got me, and watch horrible, trashy TV. There’s a new episode.”Jackson rolled his eyes and then narrowed them. “You aren’t hyping the morning sickness so you can stay home and watch the new episode are you?”“Me?” Emma’s eyes got big and innocent as she held up a hand to her chest. “I would never.”“You so woul