Always and Forever (3 page)

Now, as for this bachelor/bachelorette auction? Only men can bid on women and women
on men, so in previous years, Brody and I hadn’t participated because, well, we were
together. Last year we hadn’t because we’d just broken up and I think we both were
in a stupor from it, but this year I’ve decided to enter just for the hell of it.
I mean, all that happens is someone bids to win a particular person then that person
is theirs for a day, usually doing yardwork for them or something of the sort.

Well, except for two years ago when old Mrs. Neely, former Miss Virginia and who’s
about a hundred years old and has been a widow for as long as I can remember, bid
and won Mike Heller who’s in his early thirties, owns the local gym, is a boxer, and
is pretty much an all-around badass. She’d had him take her to Richmond where they’d
had dinner then attended the opera. Afterward, Mike informed Kade, Brody’s older brother
who owns the lumberyard in town and who Mike works part-time for, that they’d taken
her early 80s Lincoln Town Car (where, according to him, she tried groping him a couple
times as he drove) to one of the fanciest restaurants he’d ever been to. He said she’d
ordered oysters on the half shell first, telling him they were an aphrodisiac as she
waggled her eyebrows at him. For dinner they’d had lobster, which had been served
whole and he admitted he hadn’t known what to do. She’d taught him how to take it
apart, crack the shell then eat it which he said was messy but pretty cool. He also
said their conversation had been good until she kept trying to talk him into becoming
her own personal American Gigolo to which he’d graciously declined. Overall, he said
the “date” had been fun until they got home and she’d tried to kiss him after he’d
walked her to her front porch. He relayed that the worst of it all had been when she’d
puckered up, her dentures had shot out and he’d had to retrieve them from a flower
pot on her porch.

So to help my town—and maybe to make Brody a little jealous but whatever—this year
I was going up on the auction block in the hopes that I’d get someone who only wanted
me for something easy like raking leaves or vacuuming their house. I’d asked Dad to
make a bid so I could help him clean out the shed but he’d laughed and said he’d have
me do it for free another time.

“Yeah. He told me he misses me. Can you believe it?” I say to Ryan as I continue decorating
cookies.

I hear her cleaning up the salon in the background. “Yes, I can believe it. He’s moped
around town with puppy-dog eyes for the past year. He still loves you, Pipe. I think
he regrets what he’s done and wants you back, plain and simple.”

“This whole thing is weird,” I mumble.

“Yeah, it really is. You’d think
I
would’ve at least heard something about why he did it but I got nothin’,” she replies.

“That
is
strange,” I agree. This town is like Peyton Place, so whatever secret Brody’s keeping
which led to our breakup should’ve come out a long time ago. And speaking of Peyton.
“I still think it has something to do with Peyton. Brody acted like he was scared
to death of her when we ran into her at his birthday party. And Kade’s been bend-over-backwards
nice to her the past year, well, until he and Amelia got back together.”

Peyton Capps is the town bitch. Every town has one, and believe me she takes her role
seriously. She was the mean girl in high school and still wears that crown to this
day. Her dad had been mayor throughout her high school years and I guess she thought
that meant she was royalty because she acted as if she was so much better than everyone.
During school, she’d broken up tons of couples by starting rumors either just to be
mean or because she wanted to date the guy. My freshman year she’d been a senior so
I hadn’t been in her line of sight, but many others had and she’d wreaked havoc wherever
she’d gone. I think the entire town gave a huge sigh of relief when she’d headed off
to college the next year. When she’d come back two years later after dropping out,
everyone thought she’d settle down once she was married and had kids, but nope, that
wasn’t the case. Her husband’s job had taken him out of town quite a bit and she’d
ended up cheating on him with the current mayor which led to her divorce. Now she
spends a lot of time at Jen’s scoping out guys with her bitchy group of girlfriends.

“And you know what? I’ve been in a coma the last year with everything but I’m waking
up now, so I think I’m gonna get to the bottom of things with her,” I inform Ryan.

“Just be careful. She’s evil. As in, try to make you eat a poison apple, prick your
finger on a spinning wheel, steal your voice, your Dalmatians and then lock you in
a tower, evil.”

I chuckle. “You’ve been hanging out with your nieces for too long.”

“I know. I cried the other day when Elsa wouldn’t build a fucking snowman with Anna.”

This makes me laugh as I set my phone down, putting it on speaker while I put more
frosting into the bag. “So, you’re doing the bachelorette auction too tomorrow, right?”

I hear her sigh. “Yep. Third year in a row. Instead of having to cut some old balding
guy’s hair for free, I keep waiting for Prince Charming to ride up, bid on my ass,
swoop me onto his horse then we ride away into the sunset where I cut his hair on
a golden throne but it hasn’t happened yet.”

“My house Sunday, you, me,
Sons of Anarchy
marathon to get all this Disney shit outta your head.”

“For real. I’m so there.” I hear water running in a sink as she cleans. “But, God,
you’d think there’d be one guy around who I’d wanna date so I didn’t have to hang
out at my brother’s all the time with my nieces. I’m sure he and Camille are tired
of me coming over almost every weekend even though I do babysit.”

“Have you thought about dating Dwight? Or Mike?”

Dwight’s the sheriff and he’s from The Point. He graduated two years ahead of Ryan
and me and is single and really good looking. Mike’s the guy who owns the gym in town
who Mrs. Neely won in the auction two years ago.

“I told you I think I’m too curvy for them. The last girl Sheriff Dwight dated was
smaller than you! And Mike is Mr. Fit Boxer and I’m Ms. Five-ten 36-26-36. I think
he likes them smaller too. I also think I scared him away at the New Year’s Eve party
when I told him I could beat him at arm wrestling.”

I laugh again. Ryan’s beautiful: tall, long blond hair and hazel eyes that turn green
when she’s happy and flash to brown when she’s pissed. She modeled some when we were
in high school and probably could’ve gone places with it, but her love for making
others beautiful led to her getting her hairdresser’s license and opening her own
shop instead. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. His eyes got huge and he acted like
he couldn’t get away fast enough. Meh. So he’s a wuss. I know there’s someone out
there for you. In the meantime, just enjoy being single with me.”

She lets out a “Pffttt” sound. “Yeah, you’ve enjoyed it so much this past year.”

“Well, I’m gonna start to enjoy it now! I’m tired of being a Debbie Downer. Be ready
‘cause I’m gonna be coming in to get my nails and hair done soon!”

“Uh, you do that once a month anyway, Pipe.”

“Well, I’m gonna do it with more pep!”

She giggles. “Thatta girl. ’Kay, I’ve gotta close up then run by Josh’s and help Camille
finish making cupcakes. Hot guys are waiting to bid on us tomorrow so get a good night’s
rest!” she says before hanging
up.

Hot guys indeed. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get stuck with Gus Batchelder who’ll probably
want to go skinny dipping in the ocean. Never mind that it’s January or that he’s
eighty-something and married. He already streaked down Main Street a couple years
ago, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if that was his plan.

I finish the cookies then proceed to place them into my multi-tray cookie courier
and seal it up. After a quick cleanup, I pour myself another glass of wine then taking
it with me, head back to the bathroom where I turn the water on in my clawfoot tub
and pour a generous amount of my calming bubble bath in. It’s been a long day and
I need a long, soothing soak, I decide. I’ve also not allowed myself any time to think
about what happened earlier with Brody and now’s as good a time as any.

After going to my bedroom to strip down and grab my robe, I return to the bathroom
and stepping into the tub, sink down into the mass of bubbles with a sigh. I retrieve
my wine from where I placed it on the windowsill and take a sip before lying back
and resting my head against the tub. God, if we could wear plastic suits filled with
bubble baths all day every day, life would be so much less stressful.

I stick my toe out and turn the cold water knob by degrees eventually shutting it
off but allow the hot to run for a bit longer before doing the same to it, having
now acquired a just-right temperature. As I lie there in silence, eyes closed, the
lavender smell of the bath relaxing me, it’s then I realize that I’m crying, big tears
running down the sides of my face. I sniff and bring the wine glass to my lips again,
allowing myself this time to break down a bit. I’ve known all day it was coming so
I’m not surprised.

The tears continue as I think about all I’ve gone through since Brody and I split.
I mourn the loss of our friendship (yet again), how good we’d been together, how completely
loved I’d always felt being with him. I cry because I know I hurt Alex even though
he’d said he understood. I lament the loss of being part of Brody’s family, having
missed his awesome parents and brother and sister. And, yes, I even find it in me
to bemoan the fact that Dory died.

But most of all, my heart aches at losing the only man I’ve ever loved, at the loneliness
I’ve felt inside for so long because he left me, and at the anger I’ve felt due to
his betrayal.

I give myself a few minutes more to grieve as I think about today. I wonder what’s
changed making him say he has a right to me now. He also says he still loves me and
I know I still love him, but I’m a different person from the one he broke up with.
I’m stronger now, tougher and, sadly, more jaded than I was before. Getting your heart
broken for the first time tends to shatter your innocence and that thought makes me
sad too.

I sigh and finish the rest of my wine, and after placing the glass back on the ledge,
I slowly lower myself down in the tub until I’m completely submerged, my hair floating
above me like the gossamer fibers of cotton candy as it’s being spun. And it’s quite
lovely under the water, the only sound being the solid thrum of my heart beating in
my ears. And it’s my heart, a heart that’s been destroyed this past year, completely
obliterated, yet on it beats, that fills me with a sense of pride knowing that I myself
didn’t break.

I hold my breath until I no longer can and blow out air as I resurface. The peace
I suddenly feel is one that I haven’t felt in a very long time and I know everything’s
going to be all right.

I hope.
 

Chapter 3

“Oohh! How much for these?” the woman at my register asks, holding up a pair of dangly
crystal earrings.

“Seventy-five dollars,” I answer with a smile as I continue ringing up her items.

“I’ll take two!” she says excitedly as she grabs another pair placing them on the
counter.

I love the Hullabaloo. It brings people from all around to Serenity Point, and this
woman and her friend have been in my store for going on an hour oohing and aahing
over various novelties. They’re both finished with their shopping and are now checking
out, and the total of this first woman’s purchases, including the twenty-percent discount,
is well over five hundred and I’ve still got to ring up a few more things for her.
Awesome!

“We love your store!” the second woman croons and my smile gets even bigger as I thank
her. “They don’t have any like this in Virginia Beach.”

“Well, there are antique stores,” the first woman adds. “But nothing as diverse as
yours. We’re going to tell all our friends about you!”

“That’d be great!” I say as I fold the silk scarf she’s bought placing it in a box
then putting the box into her bag. “The total is six-hundred-thirty-three dollars
and seventy-two cents.”

“That’s a steal!” she exclaims as she hands me her Visa.

Her friend’s purchase is nearly the same amount and I make sure to hand them several
business cards for their friends before they leave, of course, telling them to be
sure to have a cookie and a cup of hot tea before they leave.

“You’re making a killing,” Greer says with a grin as she comes up and sets a shadow
box on the counter. “This is for the woman in the red sweater. She’s not finished
looking around.”

“How awesome is this?” I say, feeling so pleased at how today’s gone. It’s five o’clock,
an hour before I close, but I’ve still got around fifteen patrons in the store, and
by no means will I run them out until they’re finished shopping.

“Pretty cool,” my sister agrees now coming behind the counter and pushing me in the
back. “You go mingle for a bit. I’ll man the register.”

I walk out from behind the counter going to see if anyone needs help but everyone’s
pretty content in their shopping, so I wander to the front to check on the refreshments.
Wow. Out of the six dozen I made, there are four cookies left. I check the teapot
then looking around notice a few things out of place and go to arrange them glancing
out the window as I do. The entire street is lit up more so than usual with strands
of lights with big bulbs that have been strung all down Main Street which was blocked
off at five this morning so the booths could be set up. Looking out now, I see there
are gobs of people everywhere, so it makes perfect sense for me to see Brody right
off the bat. Jeez.

He’s decked out in his firefighter uniform, the blue cargo pants and all, but he’s
also wearing the blue jacket that goes with it and, damn it, why does it all have
to look so good on him? He’s standing by a firetruck that’s got its lights going talking
to a man while a little boy, who I’m assuming is the man’s son, tugs on Brody’s pants
leg. I watch as Brody squats down on the balls of his feet to get eye level with the
little guy then engages him in what looks like a serious conversation as the child
points to the truck several times. Brody suddenly scoops him up and places him inside
the cab of the truck and I can’t help but smile at the pure glee that shows on the
kid’s face as he bounces in the truck seat.