Authors: Deanna Lynn Sletten
"It means that I won't be used just because I sleep with you. I'm here to be with you, not wait on you hand and foot."
"I'm not using you," William said, growing angrier. "We're in a relationship. People in relationships do things for each other. That doesn’t mean they're using each other."
Annie crossed her arms and looked up into William's eyes. "If that's true, then what have you done for me?" she asked simply. "I don't ask you to run my errands or change your work schedule or even make time for me. So tell me, William, if this is a relationship where we do things for each other, what exactly do you do for me?"
William stood there for a long moment, not knowing how to respond to Annie's question. When he didn't answer, Annie turned and walked down the hallway and stairs, leaving him behind.
They got through the award ceremony in utter silence, which didn't go unnoticed by Sandy. She and Sam had both heard them arguing upstairs but hadn't been able to make out the exact words. Sandy decided that if her dad didn't make amends with Annie before the night was over, she would have words with him.
After the ceremony, William suggested they all go out and celebrate Sam's achievements, but Annie gracefully declined. After congratulating Sam one more time, she strode off to her car in the high school parking lot and drove home without having said a single word to William.
Annie held back tears on her way home from the award ceremony and didn't let them flow until she dropped onto her sofa. How could William treat her that way? Like she was his personal maid. She had been happily running his errands as a favor to him, but at what point did all his needs become more important than hers?
Annie's tears flowed freely as she grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and pulled it around her for comfort. She loved William. She'd fallen in love with him so easily that it had scared her. She had actually started to believe in fate and fairy tale endings and all that cosmic crap that Cherise kept saying to her. But William didn't see her or appreciate her for who she was. He only saw her as a replacement for his wife, Sara, the woman he'd admitted to not appreciating as much as he should have.
Sara. Annie wiped her tears with the corner of the blanket and thought about the woman who haunted her dreams and who haunted her relationship with William. Had Sara been so happy with her life that she wanted it back? Or had she been so unhappy that she was determined to make William unhappy throughout his life? Why did Sara invade her dreams? Why didn't she just leave Annie alone?
Annie swiped the tears again with the blanket, angry at herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. She could usually control her emotions, but lately, it had been harder to do so. Maybe she was just stressed from her busy week and the upcoming photo shoot. Maybe she was making more of the argument with William than she should have.
"This is why I never wanted to fall in love," she said softly to herself. "It always ends badly."
A soft knock came on the door, making Annie jump. When it opened a little, Annie saw the concerned face of her best friend.
"Hey, Annie. I just wanted to check on you," Cherise said, then stopped short when she saw her friend's tear-streaked face. She walked over and sat next to Annie, pulling her into her arms.
"What happened?" Cherise asked, concern filling her voice.
Annie held on tight to Cherise, her tears falling once again. After a time, she pulled away and looked at her friend. "I think I lost William tonight," she said, her voice raspy from crying.
"Annie, no. It can't be that bad," Cherise said, soothingly.
But Annie shook her head. "He's never going to let go of Sara, so there's no room for me," she said, breaking down in tears again.
Cherise held her friend as she cried. "I know William loves you," Cherise said, over and over again. "Everything will be fine, just wait and see."
Annie wanted to believe that Cherise was right, but deep down, she thought her relationship with William might never be the same again.
Later that night, William made himself a cup of coffee and sat out on the deck. Sam had gone to bed early, after they'd returned from dinner and Sandy was hiding out in her room. She had asked him once during dinner about the fight he'd had with Annie, but he'd only shaken his head and said they'd talk later.
The night was quiet except for the soft sound of the waves lapping against the shore. The moon shone brightly, casting a soft glow on the ocean. It would be the perfect evening to share with someone you love, but here he was, sitting alone, again.
William pondered over his argument with Annie. How did a simple statement turn into a full-scale fight? He didn't understand why it was wrong of him to assume Annie would run a simple errand for him. Sara had done all of it without complaint. All he'd asked Annie to do was pick up a suit from the dry cleaners.
Wait. Technically he hadn't really asked. He'd assumed since she'd dropped it off, she'd also pick it up. That was what had gotten him into trouble.
William replayed the fight in his head again and remembered the question Annie had asked him that troubled him the most.
What do you do for me?
He hadn't had an answer for her then, and he couldn't think of an answer now. Annie had been running small errands for him for weeks, she'd planned Sam's party, and had even helped him clean the house. She also never complained when they stayed home more often than ate out or when the kids were a part of their weekend plans. But what exactly had he done for her? That same feeling of guilt he'd felt after his wife died washed over him with the force of a tidal wave. Was Annie right? Had he been treating her like he'd treated his wife, expecting much and giving little?
"Dad, what's going on with you and Annie?" Sandy's sudden appearance startled William enough to spill his coffee on his sweatshirt. Brushing at it, which only made the stain worse, he looked up at his daughter, who'd snatched a patio chair and sat down right in front of him.
"You scared me," William said, trying to avoid her question. "It's a beautiful night out."
"Don't change the subject. Sam and I both heard you and Annie arguing, so what is going on?"
William sighed. Even at the age of twenty-one, his daughter was a force to reckon with. She was independent with a mind of her own, and she wasn't going to let him get away with brushing her off.
"Annie and I just had a quarrel. Nothing serious." He knew he was lying to himself as much as to Sandy. The more he thought about his fight with Annie, the more he realized just how serious it had been. Deep down, he knew they had crossed a line that he wasn't sure he could erase with a simple apology.
"What about?" Sandy asked.
William sighed. He wavered a moment as he tried to decide what to tell his daughter. Over the months, he'd noticed that Sandy and Annie had formed a close bond, so maybe she could actually help.
"Annie thought that I was expecting too much of her," he said. "I had only asked if she'd picked up my suit at the dry cleaners, and she got angry."
Sandy shook her head. "Annie's a busy woman, Dad. She has her own things to do. Why on earth would you expect her to pick up your dry cleaning?"
William lifted his hands, palms up, in exasperation. "Why is that such a crime? She dropped it off. Why couldn't I expect her to pick it up, too? Your mom used to do that and much more."
Sandy pursed her lips. "Annie is not Mom, and she is not your wife. You can't treat her like she's your maid."
William winced at her words. "Do you think I treated your mother like a maid?" he asked.
Sandy sighed. "I'm sorry, Dad, but yes. We all did."
William sat silent, staring past his daughter, out at the ocean. He knew she was right, but he hadn't realized that she had noticed it too.
"Dad," Sandy said softly. "You have to accept Annie for who she is. You can't treat her the same way as you did Mom."
"I know," William conceded, nodding his head. "I guess I didn't even realize I'd been doing that until Annie said something. But you know what the real truth is? I know that Annie isn't your mom. I know she isn't my Sara. But when I'm with her, I can feel Sara with me. And that's why I forget sometimes that Annie isn't Sara. It's all so strange."
Sandy understood what her father was saying. There had been a few times she'd felt the same way. "I think it's because of her eyes, Dad. They remind us of Mom."
William shook his head. "No, it's something more. Something I can't place my finger on."
Sandy walked over to the swing and sat down beside her father. William circled his arm around her shoulders.
"Dad, you can't lose Annie. She's good for you. She's good for this family," Sandy said softly.
William sat quietly beside his daughter, holding her close. He wasn't able to answer. His relationship with Annie had become complicated, and he didn't understand why. He just needed some time to figure it out.
Chapter Nineteen
Annie replayed her argument with William over and over in her mind as she drove to Washington to the Lewis River Trail. She'd cried the night before until she had no more tears left to shed, and Cherise had sat up with her through it all. When finally she'd fallen asleep, she'd slept so soundly from exhaustion that she could barely wake up when her alarm went off at 5:00 a.m.
Now she was just angry. Angry at William for expecting her to cater to his every whim and angry at herself for letting her relationship with him get the best of her and get in the way of her career. She was worn out and frazzled, and her work day hadn't even started yet.
Annie had always promised herself that she wouldn't fall in love so desperately that she would be devastated if the relationship ended. Yet, here she was, at a crossroads with her relationship with William, and she still didn't know which path to choose. She could apologize for the things she'd said and continue being taken advantage of, she could try again and hope he'd change his expectations, or she could break off the relationship and move on. Maybe Sara had won after all. Maybe she'd have William to herself forever.
As Annie arrived at her destination, she still had no answers as to what to do about her relationship. She pushed all thoughts aside as she immersed herself into her work and was soon mesmerized by the beauty surrounding her and the photos she was taking. While relationships may die, she knew she would always find deep satisfaction from her camera and the photos she took.
William had to push aside all thoughts of Annie for the weekend and put himself on autopilot to get through the next few days. He picked his parents up from the airport on Friday, and before he knew it, Saturday arrived, and he was sitting at his son's graduation, watching him cross the stage and accept his diploma. By the time the family returned home, the caterers and decorators had transformed the living room into a tasteful, lovely party, and guests began to arrive almost immediately.
William put on his best face for the guests, greeting Sam's fellow students, their parents, teachers from the high school, and the many other people who attended the party. Alma had stayed long enough to make sure everything was going smoothly, then quietly left. More than once, William heard from guests how wonderful the decorations were, how delicious the food was, and how tasty the desserts Cherise had made were. His own mother complimented everything many times over and even his father remarked on how wonderful everything had been organized. William could only reply with a thank you to everyone's compliments, because he really couldn't take credit for how well the party was organized. All the credit belonged to Annie.
Even as William talked to guests, he wondered where Annie was at that exact moment, what she was doing, and if she was happier there than she would have been here.
Guests came and went throughout the day until 4:00 p.m. when the party was supposed to officially be over. There were several graduation parties going on that day. More would be on Sunday and even into the next weekend. Once the party was winding down, Sam left for a while to make the rounds of his fellow graduates' celebrations. The caterers began tearing down and picking up, and soon the house was quiet and in order as if the party had never taken place. Annie had thought of everything, and William hadn't had to do anything more than write checks.
"I wish I would have had a chance to meet your Annie," William's mother, Caroline, said that evening when all was quiet and she, William, and Sandy were sitting at the small table in the kitchen drinking coffee. William's father had chosen to turn in early, tired from his long day. "She did such a nice job of planning Sam's party."
William nodded. "I tried talking her into coming, but she had booked a photography job and couldn't get out of it."
Sandy raised on eyebrow at her father. She had looked very nice today in a simple sundress and heels. William was proud of her and pleased that she had toned down her rebellious look. But right now she looked at him with fire in her eyes.
"She had to work, Dad," Sandy said. "She told you that weeks ago."
"Well, she did a lovely job with the party," Caroline said. "And I'm sure it wasn't easy with her work schedule."