Sean's Sweetheart (18 page)

Chapter Forty-six

The weeks following Sean's exit from her life were torture for Talia. She wasn't sleeping, she couldn't eat, and the smug look on her father's face at his success in breaking up her relationship broke her heart. Completely shattered, she decided to look for her own apartment.

She'd been living at home while she went to school. Trying to save money. But she couldn't stay there anymore. She was sure this was what Sean had been trying to stop, but the animosity rose like an invisible wall between Talia and her father and she couldn't bear to stay in his home any longer.

Since she only worked part-time due to her college schedule, she knew she would need a roommate. When her brother mentioned he had an extra bedroom, Talia jumped at the chance to move in. Her room was smaller than at her parents, but it was hers alone.

Living apart also gave her the distance from her father that she needed to see his true motivations. While she didn't agree with his choices, she knew her father loved her and in his own misguided way was trying to protect her. What she couldn't figure out was why he had such an instant dislike for Sean.

About a month after the breakup, she invited her dad out for coffee. He jumped at the chance to see her. Her dad looked uncomfortable when she asked about his hostility toward Sean. It was an improvement over his normal anger when Sean was mentioned, so Talia was finally hopeful of getting some straight answers.

"Talia, I… this may be hard for you to hear. I was engaged to another woman before I met your mother. Tammy left me a mere month before our wedding for a bartender who reminds me a lot of Sean. He was a big, muscular guy. I heard later that Tammy married him and ended up leaving him after he beat her so badly she was hospitalized. I was married to your mother by then, and we were expecting Zane. I've never looked for her. It wouldn't be fair to your mother. I suppose it's unfair of me, but when I saw that big jacket, something in me snapped. Then when you said he was a bartender, well, it was over for me then."

Talia sat in stunned silence listening to her father vocalize the reasons behind his instant dislike of Sean. She had never expected it was related to a broken heart.

When her father trailed off, she replied, "But Daddy, Sean isn't that guy who took Tammy from you. You can see the difference, can't you?"

"It's not as easy as just seeing the difference, honey. That man represents everything that a father does not want for his daughter. He's a bartender. Not only that, he's a former addict with a criminal record. Yes, I know about his past. And his record too. Even though he didn't mention it and neither did you. What father would be okay with that?"

"You don't see him like I do. What hurts me the most is that you wouldn't even be polite to him for my sake. I love him, Daddy. I love Sean. That man treated me better in the short time we were together than all of my other boyfriends combined. You know how he opened doors for me? Other than you, or an occasional random stranger, no guy has
ever
done that for me. If I'm being honest, half the time Caleb expected me to open the door for him. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I actually enjoyed that stuff." She looked out the window, her eyes filled with tears.

Her dad sighed and reached across the table to take her hand. "I want you to be happy, honey. I really don't think he's the guy for you though. Have you heard from him at all since that night?"

Indicating a negative through the shake of her head, Talia continued staring out the window. A lone tear fell from her eye and rolled down her troubled face.

Her father changed the subject. "You need to get out more, princess. Your mom has big plans for the town picnic. You know how she gets."

After some coaxing, she relented in the end. Since her siblings were being pushed to go to the picnic too, it might be fun. With all the people downtown for the fireworks display, she figured that her chances of bumping in to Sean would be slim as he would be busy at the club.

Leaving the coffee shop, Talia decided to do a little shopping. She went by the bookstore, but that reminded her of Sean. She still had a few books of his that she would need to return to him. However, she wasn't sure she could see him yet without bursting into tears. Even after a month, she still missed him so much it hurt.

Claire came over to see her new place. When Talia opened the door, Claire shook her head and hugged her so tight she couldn't breathe. "Are you even eating? Girl. I still can't believe he'd just walk away. He went out of his way to get us talking again. That's not the actions of a man who doesn't care."

"He hasn't called. Not a text. Or even a Facebook message. Nothing."

"Then screw him. Let's find you a new man."

Talia laughed through her tears. "No. I don't want a new man. Not now. I just can't…" she trailed off and ran to the bathroom.

Claire looked at her in concern when she came out wiping her mouth, but didn't say anything. Talia felt Claire's eyes watching her rather than the chick flick they put on, but chose to ignore it. When Claire went to go home, she nudged Talia and told her to make a doctor's appointment. She ignored the comment and went to bed still queasy.

Talia spent the next week hugging the toilet, waiting for the waves of nausea to pass. She'd never believed people could die from broken hearts. But losing Sean hit her pretty hard. She could hear her brother talking on the phone. From his side of the conversation, she was pretty sure it was their mother he was talking to. Zane was telling her how Talia was sick. Again. It didn't surprise her when her mother waited outside the bathroom when the door opened. She took one look at Talia and asked when she was going to go to the doctor.

"This is more than a stomach virus, sweetie. I think you should make an appointment."

"Already did. Can't get in until Tuesday," she told her mother as she flopped face first onto her bed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for the new round of nausea to pass.

"Do you think you can make it to the town picnic? I was hoping to have all my children with us today. You know, it's tradition," her mom said as she rubbed a gentle pattern over Talia's back.

"I'll try, Mom. I don't think I can handle fried chicken though, for sure."

"I'll pack you some easy-on-the-tummy foods. Think about it, okay? Zane and I are going to go over early so as to get a good spot. Your dad has to make some calls and such for work, if you want to ride over with him later?"

Talia didn't move for the next couple hours. Not until her dad let himself in, calling, "Hey princess, you feel up to going? Your mom said I should bully you into it."

Talia rose, telling her dad to give her a few minutes. She dressed quickly in a soft shirt and shorts. The outfit was quite a bit looser than the last time she'd worn it. She'd been sick for a couple weeks now though. Her mom was right, this wasn't a virus.

She hopped in the cab of her dad's truck. When he turned away from town, she asked where they were going. Her dad replied, "I told Mike that we'd give him a ride. His car's in the shop and he doesn't live far from here."

Eyeing her father suspiciously, Talia didn't say anything. When they got to his employee's place, Talia had to slide to the middle of the single cab truck. Her dad introduced her to Mike. Mike smiled at Talia as he climbed in the truck next to her. His long legs took up a good bit of space, and Talia had to squeeze over close to her father to get away from his bulk. They hadn't made it a mile down the road before he'd stretched an arm back behind Talia, his hand twisting a lock of her hair. She gathered her hair up and leaned forward away from his arm. He pulled his arm back and laid his palm flat on her thigh and squeezed. Talia squirmed in frustration, but space was tight in the single cab truck so she couldn't really avoid his touch. When her dad brought the truck to a stop downtown, Talia hopped out quickly.

Big, fluffy clouds filled the sky. A light wind blew in from the east, carrying with it the scents of the typical festival fare; the sweet smells of funnel cakes and kettle corn mingled with the meaty charcoal essence of hamburgers. When Talia walked into the town square to find her family, there was already a small crowd there—mothers and fathers with small children on blankets, a group of pre-teen boys gathered around a picnic table, some older men at the chess tables at the center. Every generation was represented in the grassy expanse between the timeworn storefronts of downtown.

Amidst children laughing and vendors hawking their wares—be it food or souvenirs—Talia spotted her mom. Her mother had spread a couple of large blankets beneath the branches of one of the large trees that edged the square, giving them plenty of room to stretch out and nap under the shelter of the magnificent oak after lunch.

Stopping to speak to a few people as she crossed the square, Talia made her way over to the spot her mother had claimed. As she arrived, her brother walked up from the other direction carrying a large cooler that, knowing her mother as she did, was full of food and drinks.

Zane pulled her in for a warm hug after putting down his burden. "You feeling any better?"

She shrugged. "I'm not hurling at the moment, so I suppose."

"Saw Claire earlier. She said to tell you hi and told me I needed to make you go get checked out."

"I've already made an appointment. No need to go all big brother on me."

Zane grinned. "Comes with the territory."

"So what else did you and Claire talk about?"

"You know, the usual. I asked her out, she listed all the things she'd rather do instead—like have a root canal—and pretended to hate me, all the while not taking her eyes off me. I'm wearing her down..."

Talia shook her head. She couldn't see Claire dating Zane. He wasn't preppy enough for Claire. But odder things had happened.

She looked around for her sister Karly, but didn't see her.

Her mother guessed who she was searching for and said, "Karly's working at the moment, but will be over after her shift."

Talia helped her mother start setting out the food from the cooler. Fragrant fried chicken, buttery soft biscuits, and mustardy potato salad were among the scrumptious treasures she pulled from the insulated box, as well as a smaller plate with a grilled chicken breast and rice that Talia knew was for her. Her dad and brother crowded around, playfully snatching containers of food from her hands while adding more and more to their overfilled plates.

Her dad invited Mike to join them. He'd made her uncomfortable in the truck, but since they'd arrived at the picnic he had kept his distance. He made himself a plate and sat down on the opposite side of the blanket from her.

Settling down to enjoy her meal, Talia felt blessed to be surrounded by such a loving family. Next to her, her parents sat close to each other, whispering low as they ate, very much in love after all these years. Her brother tossed a chicken bone at her, his smile innocent when she looked his way. He nodded toward the sappy display their parents were putting on. But his smile was as big as hers.

Her father leaned over and kissed her mother gently, and Talia was reminded of Sean. The gentleness in his kiss, the loving way he would touch her cheek before he kissed her, all came back to her. She had been doing her best to put him out of her mind, although she had not been very successful. It had been several weeks since she had seen him now, over a month since she'd felt his lips on hers, but she still thought of him daily.

Mike asked her if she wanted to go for a walk around the square. She said no.

"Talia, honey, I think a little fresh air, a bit of exercise, might do you good."

"I agree with your mom. You're pale. Take a little walk."

Talia closed her eyes for a moment to give herself a pep talk, telling herself that if they were in the square in front of all these people, it would be fine. She had no reason to believe that she wouldn't be safe. And she was somewhat certain that she could keep her lunch down. So she agreed to go with him for a short walk.

Mike extended his hand to help her from the ground. She tugged her shorts back down and they set off for a stroll around the square. Vendors edged the square. Talia stopped at several tables to browse at the jewelry for sale. Mike made noises of impatience when she stopped at the fourth such table, but he didn't say anything. After she had perused that table, Mike asked if she would mind walking around the vendors where they could talk easier. She nodded her assent and they made their way through the crowd to the cobblestone walkways in front of the Victorian era buildings that lent character to the downtown area. The historical district was always her favorite part of town.

After a short walk, she started back toward her family. The disapproval on Mike's face disturbed her. The look on his face triggered a feeling of déjà vu. She knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't think from where. Or maybe he just reminded her of someone she knew. Something about him made her anxious and she couldn't get back to her family fast enough.

When they reached her family, her dad started a conversation with Mike. "Johnny wants us to stop by a client's house downtown later. He said you'd worked on the roof out there? Old house out in the historic district? Apparently, the guy is saying one of the new windows was leaking during the rain yesterday, so we need to look and see if it's installed right or if the window is just messed up from the factory. See if we can't get it fixed up for him. This guy's investing a lot in this old house so we want to make it right."