Authors: Chloe Grey
They arrived at baggage claim and picked up their suitcases. Next was the task of walking through a sea of people in search of Jennifer, who had promised to meet them. Meaghan couldn’t find her at first in the crowd, which bothered her, but told herself to stop letting made-up worries get the better of her.
She’d dealt with the same thing after their first year at college, and she didn’t doubt it would be the same after their third. For some reason, more of her fears crept up when she was home. Breathing deeply, she focused on finding Jennifer. All of a sudden, her aunt seemed to burst through the crowd, panting slightly.
The short, round woman ran her fingers through her raven black pixie haircut. She was clad in her favorite color—sky blue—and gasped as she pressed a hand against her chest.
“Sorry I’m late.” She gathered them both into a tight hug. “The traffic was terrible. I’ve never known it to be so bad.”
“It’s fine.” Meaghan kissed her cheek. “How have you been?”
“Life is normal. Work is busy. David is busy. We both missed the two of you more than I can say, and as soon as we get home I want you to tell me everything about your second year of college.”
“I already told you about it on the phone, remember?”
“David hasn’t heard it from you, and I can never tell the stories as well as you can, Meg.”
Jennifer ushered them along, out of baggage claim. Outside, they hurried across a narrow street and into the parking lot.
“Hearing you talk about your experiences reminds me of my time at college.” She craned her neck, apparently trying to remember where she’d parked. “I’m so glad the two of you have managed to make it through a second year.”
When they reached the car, she opened the doors, and then looked between them with obvious admiration and pride. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to go to college
and
work. I was lucky enough to have parents who helped me as much as they could, and the little I did need, I could make by working in the college library a few hours a week.”
She opened the hatchback, and helped them get their luggage inside.
“Was that something you enjoyed doing?” Meaghan asked, as she watched her aunt shut and secure the door before all three of them climbed into the car.
Once she was in the driver’s seat, Jennifer appeared as if she was glowing with happy memories. “Library work is amazingly relaxing.” She shoved the key in the ignition, but paused for a moment, leaning against the steering wheel. “I loved being able to shelve the books, and help people find what they needed. I got to do everything the librarians did, without feeling tied to the place. Sometimes I couldn’t help thinking people who work as librarians become far too attached to the books.” Jennifer laughed. “That could just be me, though. I always did have an overactive imagination.” She turned the car on and slowly piloted the vehicle out of the parking spot, and through the lot.
As she drove, they chatted amiably.
Meaghan beamed. “I remember when we were little, and you used to tell us all those stories about the creatures who worked in the hospital with you.”
“Oh, that. I just made those up each night, because I thought it was important the two of you had some normality in your lives. Mom always used to tell me stories that were very much the same, and it was something I loved more than anything.”
“We loved it, too.”
Meaghan always had misgivings about going home, but she had to remind herself it hadn’t been all bad. After all, Jennifer was there. She made everything wonderful.
***
Chase treasured the good things about his past, and he adored having someone in his life who could talk about the some of them. When he thought about his parents, however, there were very few good memories. Most of them were sodden with alcohol, and he hated that more than anything. That was why he’d told himself a hundred times he was never going to drink. So far, it had been easy for him to keep that promise, no matter how many temptations lurked on campus.
The problem was, he came off as a tough guy with the tattoos. Even Jennifer felt he looked older than his actual age. And when anyone combined a tough exterior with tattoos, and someone like Meaghan on his arm, it usually led to trouble.
Jennifer glanced at Chase through the rear-view mirror.
“You’re going to be working as a lifeguard, right?” When he startled, she added, “Oops, scared you. Sorry about that.”
“No problem. I was lost in thought. I should know better than to do that when the two of you are around.”
Meaghan said nothing. She just stuck out her tongue out at him before turning to face forward in her seat again.
“I will be working as a lifeguard,” he said. “Same job as last summer. The community center told us both we could come back and work for them again. So Meg gets to keep her job, too…teaching swimming. I don’t have the patience to teach, and I have to admire Meg for that ability. It’s much easier to save lives. If you’re teaching, you might accidentally drown someone,” he teased.
“I’m not going to drown anyone,” she retorted. He could hear the amusement in her voice. “I’m good at teaching, and they seem to like learning from me. Don’t listen to him, Aunt Jennifer. He’s just being a pain.” She gave him a glare, but he could tell she was only joking.
“Sweetie, you have the patience to teach,” Jennifer said. “That is a rare skill. So many teachers find themselves thrust into the job because they don’t have any other choice, but I think it’s something you should seriously think about for the future. I don’t know what you were planning, but—”
“Meg doesn’t know what she’s planning yet,” Chase interrupted. He didn’t either, but it was something they were beginning to think about. The last two years had flown by, and it hadn’t been a very long time at all in the large scheme of things. “We’ve had a couple of conversations and haven’t come to any conclusions.”
“You’ve still got a bit of time. I would suggest you talk while you’re here, and work out what you do want.”
Chase knew what he wanted in his the future, but he was certain he could never have it without losing something else. He never wanted to lose Meaghan. She was far too precious to him. A life without her—even as just best friends—would be unbearable.
***
Meaghan took a deep breath before she walked into the house. She hadn’t been able to call it home since her stepmother had moved in when she was sixteen.
“Dad?” All she could do was hope he was there, instead of her stepmother. “Wanda?”
When her father stepped out of the kitchen and into the narrow hallway, she smiled with relief.
“Hello, love,” he said. “I didn’t know you were coming home today.”
“I sent you three text messages, and four emails, Dad. You should have gotten at least one of them.”
Unless Wanda deleted them, of course
. “You must have gotten at least one of the texts.”
“Sorry, I changed my number.” They shared an awkward hug. “I was having trouble with telemarketers, so I decided to get a new number. I thought I told you?”
Her father was just as she remembered him; slightly paunchy around the middle, with a full head of hair he dyed a natural shade of brown. “Come on into the kitchen. I’m just cleaning.”
In order to stop herself from crying—because Meaghan was far closer to tears than she wanted to be—she took a couple more calming breaths. It wasn’t really working. After following him into the kitchen, she wrung her hands anxiously, looking down and focusing on the ring she wore on her middle finger. She began to twirl it around and around.
She felt as though she were in a stranger’s home. As her father continued rinsing some dishes and carefully positioning them in the dish drainer, she fidgeted where she stood on the pale green linoleum.
“It’s okay, Dad. Maybe you can text me your new number.”
“Of course I can.”
The laugh lines at the corners of his dark eyes crinkled when he smiled at her.
“I’m glad you’re back. Wanda’s been trying out some great new recipes, and I thought you could have dinner with us.” He paused, adding, “Now that you’re a bit older…I was hoping you’d be able to let go of the feelings you have toward her and start fresh.” He turned, drying his hands on a fluffy towel. “You both mean so much to me.”
All sorts of replies swirled through Meaghan’s mind as she focused on that ring on her finger, chewing on her bottom lip as she did so. None of the retorts she had in mind were particularly complimentary, so she stopped herself from speaking them aloud.
“We’ll see.”
“Meaghan. For me, please.”
Emotional blackmail. That’s just what I needed
. And there was no question he would turn to it, because he wanted the two of them to get along. However, he didn’t want to face what she’d been telling him for years. Wanda was the problem. She had been the problem since the beginning, and there’d been a time when Meaghan had hoped to talk some sense into her father. Unfortunately, none of her pleadings had worked. He loved Wanda too much, so he refused to listen.
“I’m not making a decision now, Dad. I just got back, I’m tired, and I don’t want to have to think about Wanda for now.”
“Listen…about your room.” Her father rubbed a hand over his cheek, frowning. “Wanda said she needed a study, so we moved all your stuff into the little room. I thought, since you’re only here for summer break now, you don’t really need the big room.”
Unable to deal with all of it any longer, she left the room. When she stepped into the tiny space that had been thrust upon her, there was no doubt in her mind who’d packed everything up. Not wanting anyone to walk in on her, Meaghan pushed one of the bigger boxes against the door and cried. There was no way she could stop the flood of tears any longer.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, she was finished. Done with everything. But she couldn’t leave. She was stuck there for another six weeks.
Wanda had turned her father’s house into a toxic environment. But she supposed that could happen when a man married a girl who was only five years older than his own daughter.
Chase’s first day back at his summer job had gone well. He knew the head lifeguard was happy with his work. He enjoyed being at the community center, looking after the swimmers and overseeing things, and he was grateful they’d been willing to re-hire both him and Meaghan. Being back in town had its downfalls, but being able to walk to the community center was a definite plus. Neither he nor Meaghan had access to a vehicle.
That evening, he would have dinner with Meaghan, Jennifer, and David. After work, he changed and walked across the yard that joined Jennifer’s property with his dad’s land. But when he stepped into the house, he heard soft sobbing. Stepping through to the living room, he found Meaghan crying on the sofa. Jennifer sat beside her, holding her close and gently rubbing her arm. Meaghan’s slight frame was tucked against her aunt. Her long, auburn hair fell around her shoulders.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly on alert for anything that was amiss. Glancing around, everything looked normal. Except for one thing. David wasn’t there.
“Chase…” Jennifer turned to look at him, her eyes puffy and red, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t know how to tell you this. I wanted to do it when we were all together, but Meaghan finished work early, and she knew something was wrong when she walked in. I had to tell her. I know we were all planning to have dinner together. David was supposed to be here. We planned it a while ago, after all. But…David and I…”
When she paused as if uncertain she should continue, he almost thought they were splitting up. But that didn’t make sense, because they had always had a happy relationship. He waited, and she finally continued.
“It was a really hard decision to make, because I don’t want to leave the two of you. However, you are both in college now, so it won’t be long until you’re living your own lives. You can come visit us in Houston whenever you want to.”
“David’s been transferred,” Chase guessed.
Jennifer nodded. “We always knew it was a possibility, but we were hoping it wasn’t going to happen until the two of you had graduated. There is nothing we can do about it. David’s needed elsewhere, so we have to go. I can’t imagine my life without him in it. He’s been my best friend forever. After everything we’ve been through, he’s stuck with me…
“I thought he’d leave me when he found out I couldn’t have children. But he never did. And now we have to move to Houston. I’m sorry, kids. We can’t afford to run two households. My only real option is to go with him. I’m glad I’m a nurse; otherwise this would be a lot harder to pull off on such short notice. I’ve already spoken to people about finding a nursing job there. They need nurses everywhere. I’ll be able to find work. I just feel like I’m abandoning you two.”
“None of this is your fault.” Chase was shocked about the sudden move, but he wasn’t going to take his emotions out on Jennifer. She hadn’t asked for it to happen, so he’d do what he could to be strong for the two of them. He decided he would deal with his disappointment later, when he was alone. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Look after Meaghan when we aren’t here. David flew out to Houston today to look for a house. We have to be there in two weeks, and I need to start packing everything up. Fortunately, David’s firm will help us with moving expenses, but that doesn’t really help with the issue of packing.” She sighed, looking around the house. “I don’t know where to start. How are we going to get it all done in time?”
“We’ll help.” Meaghan wiped the tears off her cheeks. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’m not working for the next couple of days, so we should be able to get quite a lot done.” She glanced at Chase. “I have Tuesday and Wednesday off, instead of Saturday and Sunday, as the weekends are when a lot of people like to go in for swimming lessons.”
He plopped down in the cozy armchair across from them. “I have Wednesday and Sunday off. I’m sure we can help get a lot of this stuff packed up. How did your first day go, Meg? I didn’t get a chance to talk to you while we were at work.”
She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “It was far easier than I expected it to be. I didn’t know you would be working later than me, though.”
“Neither did I, but we had some new policies we had to cover. I’m sure you’ll get lectured about it later.”
“Sounds like fun,” she replied sarcastically. The more she spoke, the calmer she sounded. Meanwhile, Jennifer was rubbing her back to soothe her. Being able to take her mind off the bad news was obviously helping.
“We don’t have the same sort of training, though. I seem to be doing well enough teaching swimming that no one needs to step in, although a couple of the others did anyway. There was one girl who tried to get one of the boys in without his water wings. He kept telling her he needed them and she wouldn’t listen. One of the other instructors told her part of the job is to make our students confident enough that they can take off their own water wings. It’s not about us pushing them into it.”
For a moment, Chase thought about how pushy he’d been as a child. He would have never allowed an adult to make him wear inflatable arm bands while swimming. “I think you’re very good at working with those kids. You’re the only person I know who could make me confident enough to pass my calculus final. And I
did
.” He made his way over to the sofa and sat next to her. “Teaching is what you’re made for, Meg. I think you need to make the most of those skills.”
Uncertainty filled her eyes. Not having Jennifer and David to come home to in Arizona was going to change life for them both, but that was something they could talk about later, when Jennifer wasn’t there, staring down at the tissue in her hand.
She looked up at them with tears trickling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.” She stood. “I never meant for anything like this to happen. I’m going to miss living here. I wish I could stop it, but it just isn’t possible.”
“Aunt Jennifer, it’s okay,” Meaghan assured her. She rose and went to her, wrapping her arms around the fragile-looking woman. “It was a shock, but this is something we can deal with. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, because it isn’t, and I think we all know that. No matter how hard it is, I know we can get through this.”
Chase could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and that was enough to tell him she didn’t believe what she was saying. It was just something she had to say, in order to help Jennifer. The guilt her aunt carried was obvious, but there was no reason to feel guilty. Jennifer had always taken it upon herself to look after them, and he could see in her tear-filled eyes and reddened cheeks that she believed she was abandoning them. He wished he could do more. Just being there for Meaghan was something he’d do, anyway.
He tried not to think about how different life was going to be without Jennifer as his next door neighbor, but it was impossible not to. The very thought of her not being there was painful. It was almost as though he was losing an arm, which was melodramatic and yet strangely apt for the sensation that came over him when he thought about someone else living in this house.
“Everything will be fine.” He stood, going over to them and wrapping his arms around both of them. “Life isn’t going to be easy without you, Jennifer, and we’re going to miss you more than I can say, but this is something we can all get past.” He kissed both their cheeks. “Try not to worry too much about us. We have each other and we’re strong enough to deal with you not being around all the time.”
“Thank you.” Jennifer said. “I am so scared of this. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to leave everything behind.” There was a tremor in her voice, and as she held each of them close, she began to cry again.