Wait for Me

by Louise, Tia

  Then I met Noel.

  She’s so beautiful. She has dreams and so much ahead of her. I want to bring something to the table as well. Sure, I can never be a prince, but I could be a hero. I’ve trained for it. If I could do something, come back with a medal, a badge of honor, no one could say we don’t belong together. I want to give her that. I want to deserve her…

  And I really want to be with her on her birthday.

  Nights of talking through the computer screen or seeing her beautiful body on my phone are wearing on me. She’s going to be nineteen in a few days, and I’d give anything to be there with her.

  “Wish we could get a few days leave.”

  Patton looks at me like I’ve lost it. I’m frustrated we’re still on the border. We go where we’re told, but this mission feels more politically motivated than strategic. Primarily because we’re not seeing much action.

  “What the hell are you interested in doing? Visiting your mom? Jerome?”

  He knows after my mom moved back to the mountains, I pretty much lost contact with her. My uncle is someone I have no intention of visiting ever.

  “Just feeling cooped up. Antsy.” Deployment in my mind was going to be more active and farther away—Afghanistan or Venezuela like we’d been told, not right here at the edge of our own country.

  “You know what would be great right now?” Marley comes in, dropping on the foot of my bunk. “Edibles.”

  Pulling my leg up, I give him a shove. “I told you not to spend your leave partying. Now you’re withdrawing.”

  “Cannabis is not addictive.”

  “Maybe not, but I imagine you get used to being high all the time.”

  “Not all the time.”

  “You’re a Marine.” Patton cuts his eyes at our friend. “You don’t wake and bake.”

  “Marines smoke. They drink. Pot’s legal now.”

  “I have a better idea.” Patton leans back, rubbing his fingers over his mouth. “Something for after this. Something that will use all our skills.”

  “Go.” Marley sits up. “Anything’s better than staring at the jungle all day and night.”

  “Fletcher International.”

  Marley groans and Sawyer enters the room. “What’d I miss?”

  “Patton still believes his dad’s going to retire and give him the business.”

  “He will, and when he does, I’m making us all filthy rich.”

  Marley snatches a golf ball off Patton’s desk and tosses it in the air. “I thought we came here to get away from all that.”

  “We came here to serve and protect,” Patton agrees. “And when we leave, I’ve got us covered.”

  “I’m covered.” Sawyer’s voice is quiet.

  “Yeah, Sawyer’s got a hundred acres back home.” Marley gives me a shove back. “You were there.”

  “Sawyer enlisted so he could have a break.” I’m teasing along, but he cuts a glance at me. I told him I was serious about his sister, and I meant it.

  “That’s a long way off.” Marley tosses me the golf ball. “I didn’t come here to sit around dreaming. I’m going to find something to do.”

  15

  Noel

  April

  Dolly Parton says when you’re feeling low, put on your favorite high heels and stand a little taller. I’ve spent nine months getting up every morning and slipping into a different pair of heels.

  I went through the motions of cooking, cleaning, making sure Leon had what he needed and got to school on time. Mindy kept up with me, invited me to college functions, but it was hard to be interested in extracurricular activities.

  Students would get so excited about football games and homecoming and beating our big rivals, but I couldn’t seem to muster the energy to care. I did manage to pull off almost all As in my business classes, with my only B in accounting.

  My birthday was a day-long, off and on, Facetime call with Taron. He sent me a birthday care package, which we opened together—a big box of Mayan chocolate, a sterling silver and turquoise ring he said is from Taxco, a blown-glass ombre heart, and a small wooden skull decorated in flowers and brilliant designs for Día de los Muertos. I held up each one and raved over how beautiful and thoughtful his gifts were. I promised I’d never take the ring off my finger.

  Sawyer called me, one of the two times we’ve talked since he left. As usual, he was direct, to the point. How’s the orchard, how’s Leon, how am I… My answer was good to all. He said it was pretty quiet where they were, and he said he and Taron were looking out for each other. He didn’t say anything about their conversation concerning me.

  I wished I could give him a hug. After nineteen years, I’ve learned while my big brother doesn’t say much, his feelings run deep. Sometimes the only way he can express himself is through a hug or a pat on the back or a smile. I miss him more than I thought I would.

  Leon’s present to me was a “Get out of Work Free” card… which meant he did all the cooking and cleaning on my special day. He made our breakfast—or McDonald’s did. He cleaned up and said he’d be back with dinner, after he took off to spend the day with Betsy. Betsy’s mother sent dinner.

  I didn’t really mind.

  In the afternoon, I drove up to the Pine Hills nursing home and dropped off a basket of peach muffins, fudge, and surplus items from my online store. Aunt Doris passed a few weeks back, and while it was sad, I was glad she was at peace. It was difficult seeing her drift further and further away from us in her mind.

  Mindy wasn’t there when I arrived, but I sat and chatted with Miss Jessica Priddy, the old spinster who used to live in the house next door to us. She doesn’t have dementia, but she says her health is too poor for her to live alone. She’s small and birdlike, and she wears her hair in a little bun at the nape of her neck. She’s usually wearing lip gloss and a fancy smock over her clothes, and I wonder what it would be like to have only friends to take care of you.

  After a lonely dinner in front of the fire, I ended the day in my bed, talking to Taron until we fell asleep. The next morning, I woke to a dark screen and cold sheets, and I stayed under the blankets with tears in my eyes until well after noon.

  Months passed, and it started to feel like the heaviness would never leave, but as always, time turned out to be the healer.

  The peach blossoms opened their petals along the branches of the trees all across the rolling hills of our orchard, and a light seemed to appear at the end of my long tunnel.

  This morning, I’m not wearing heels.

  I’m in my boots and a sweater, and I stand at the top of the hill, watching as the sun touches the pink blossoms with golden light.

  “Good to see you’re not crying anymore.” Leon’s voice appears at my side, and I put an arm around his shoulders.

  “I’m not crying.” I exhale slowly. “It’s time to get busy. What needs to happen here?”

  He shrugs out of my embrace, stepping over to break off a small twig sticking out of the trunk of a tree. “Sawyer handled the pruning in July, so we should be good. Maybe head into town and see what the old timers are saying about frost?”

  “Yes.” I nod, the knowledge seeping into my memory. “Late frost is bad.”

  We have special windmills throughout the orchard to pull warm air from the ground to protect the young crop.

  “I’ll drive to town and see what they’re saying.”

  “Good luck.” Leon laughs, shaking his head. “I’ve got to get to school.”

  “You need anything?”

  “Nah, I’ve got it covered.”

  Holding a skinny branch, I make a decision. This is my land, and I won’t let my brothers down.

  I’m at the Denny’s next to the truck stop in under an hour, but it’s deserted except for a few weary travelers. Glancing at my phone, I’ve only got twenty minutes before I have to be across the highway in class.

  “Morning, Sugar. Coffee?” Flo walks up to where I stand beside a vinyl-covered booth.

  “I
was just looking for Mr. Hayes and the rest of the men.”

  She gives me a short laugh. “You have to get here earlier than this to see those guys.”

  Shit. Chewing my lip, I nod and hurry to the door. “Thanks, Flo.”

  My best friend has a pencil stuck in the bun on her head, and we’re whispering in management class. “Frost?”

  “Yeah, what have you heard about a late frost this year?” I’m thinking about my lack of management skills the first half of the year and feeling guilty.

  Mindy looks at me like I just sprouted an additional head. “Are you serious right now?”

  “I’m trying to do a better job keeping track of things while Sawyer’s away.”

  Our professor gives us the homework assignment, dismisses us, and our voices grow louder over the roar of departing students.

  “I’m glad.” She stands, and we make our way to the end of the row, where I see Deacon waiting at the door.

  He’s hard to miss, tall with dark brown hair and brooding eyes. As usual, he’s dressed in jeans and a blazer. I don’t think he means to exude wealth. I think it’s just his normal state of affairs.

  “I thought he went back to Dallas?”

  “He did.” She glances over and gives him a little wave. “His family pissed him off again, so he came back.”

  “So are you dating now?” I squint at her. She has never made anything official between them.

  “I don’t know.” She does a little shrug. “I’m not sure he’s my type.”

  Shaking my head, I give her a squeeze. “He’s somebody’s type.”

  “Are you coming by to see Miss Jessica today?”

  “Right after classes.”

  “See you then.”

  “Oh, I love the smell of this foot cream.” Miss Jessica sits on a vinyl couch in the recreation hall rubbing my lotion on her feet. “I can’t believe this didn’t sell.” She slips a fluffy sock on and leans back studying the bottle.

  She’s become one of my best customers, and I bring her favorites from my discontinued line along with new things I’m trying. Of course, I never make her pay for anything.

  “Maybe I didn’t name it right.” I reach into the small bag I have today. “Like I didn’t think this sugar scrub was going to do well, but I named it Peach Passion, and it flies off the shelves.”

  “I guess it’s hard to be passionate about feet.”

  “I think having foot in the name is a problem.”

  She takes the jar of caramel-colored scrub from me and opens it, giving it a sniff. “I’m glad you brought me more of this. It works great on my elbows.”

  I take out another small jar. “This is some eye cream I’m trying. See what you think.”

  “Oh, I love eye cream.” She takes the tiny pot and unscrews the lid, applying a smear as we sit side by side. “Feels good… I wish I knew how to use that Internet so I could tell everybody how great your products are.”

  I laugh, and she reaches out to hold my hand. “You seem happy today. Is it because of Taron?”

  “I don’t know.” My brow furrows as I think about what changed in me. “I think maybe it’s spring.”

  Her spotty old hand pats mine roughly, and she nods. “When my brother Bill was in the service, the first months were always the hardest. We only had letters in those days, and it felt like a little eternity passed between each one.”

  “I can’t imagine.” Taron and I don’t Facetime every single day anymore, but our texts are pretty nonstop. “Maybe the peach blossoms did it. I saw them popping out on the trees, and I decided it was time to get back in the game.”

  She nods. “The game being your business?”

  “And running the orchard. And focusing on my classes.” I think about all the orders coming in every day for my products. “But mostly my business. I have to stay on top of it if I’m going to keep making a profit, which is the only time Sawyer seems interested.”

  “You will.” She smiles, giving my hand a squeeze. “When your brother gets back, and Taron gets back, you’ll have your store.”

  She makes it sound like they’ve just gone away for a few days. I wish. “Maybe. Sawyer won’t let me build anything in the orchard. He doesn’t want tourists all in the way. I have to show him they’re valuable customers.”

  Her brow furrows as if she’s thinking about this, and I collect the items I made for her into the bag again. My movements draw her attention. “How much do I owe you for these?”

  “Oh,” I smile and exhale a laugh. “Don’t worry about that.”

  “I do worry about that, Noel Aveline.” Her craggly voice goes high. “You’re never going to grow your business giving stuff away, and I always pay my bills.”

  “Tell you what.” I pat her hand. “I’ll ask Mindy to deduct it from your account.” Her imaginary account.

  The old woman nods. “Okay. Get Mindy to do that.”

  “I’ll take care of it now. Then I have to get back to make dinner for Leon.”

  “You’ll be back next week?”

  “If not sooner.” I give her a squeeze. “Let Mindy know if you need anything.”

  That night, lying in my bed, I think about our conversation as I tap out a text to Taron. Miss Jessica asked about you today.

  I introduced her to Taron using my Facetime app a while back, and you’d have thought I’d shown her the moon landing. Gray dots bounce as he replies. Tell her when you’re sick of me, I’ll start dating her.

  His teasing makes me smile. I’ll never be sick of you. It’s hard to even imagine such a thing in our current situation. She said when Sawyer gets back, I can open my storefront.

  You don’t have to wait for that do you?

  Chewing my lip, I study my phone. I don’t want to bug him about his plans, but I hadn’t considered we might be separated like this over and over for years and years. Can I say goodbye to him indefinitely? The alternative makes it easy to say yes but so hard to imagine. Is it possible to get used to this life?

  I’d need help with an orchard, a store, and school.

  I watch the gray dots as he taps out a reply. Are you unhappy with being online?

  “Taron…” I sigh his name out loud. Tapping the camera icon, I wait as it rings. I need to see him for this.

  A moment later his gorgeous face appears, and I want to cry. “Hey, princess. You okay?”

  My eyes scan his surroundings. “Are you in a closet?”

  “Half bath. I thought we might need privacy.” His eyes crinkle with a grin.

  I didn’t call for the reason he’s thinking, and now that I see his face, I’m having second thoughts about my own. Maybe we should wait to discuss the future. I’m acting like he asked me to marry him or something, which he didn’t. “I needed to hear your voice.”

  He leans to the side, and his face gets a little closer. “It’s not getting easier.”

  Heat filters into my eyes. “No.”

  The smile melts from his cheeks, and his expression turns serious. “Are you having second thoughts?”

  “No!” Akela jumps on the bed at the sudden rise in my voice. I put my hand on her head and she licks my nose. “I’m still waiting. I only thought… I was wondering… how many times you might do this.”

  He exhales a laugh. “Patton’s already making plans for when we get out.”

  I’m not sure what that means, but I know Patton lives in Nashville. “Are you having second thoughts?” My chest is so tight, I can hardly breathe.

  “No.” The warmth in his voice puts more tears in my eyes. “I’m still glad I did this, but maybe I’d have made a different choice if I’d met you first.”

  “You wouldn’t have met me if you hadn’t done this.”

  His head tilts side to side. “Catch-22.” Blinking down, I quickly swipe the tear off my cheek. I don’t want to cry every time we talk. “We’re almost there, princess. Can you stay with me a little longer?”

  “Yes.” My voice breaks on a whisper, but I mean it wi
th all my heart.

  “I love you, Noel.”

  Nodding, I close my eyes. “I love you.”

  Digger meets me at the door of the Denny’s when I get out of the truck the next morning. “Noel? What are you doing here?”

  It’s still dark outside, and I’m wearing faded jeans and a long-sleeved gray tee with a blue baseball cap pulled over my head. My boots and a barn coat complete the look. “It’s time I showed up at these meetings.”

  “But it’s so early.”

  My brow furrows, as I study him. “You’re here.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t need to be. You should get your beauty rest.”

  “I’ve rested enough.” Once upon a time, Digger didn’t bother me so much. Now every word out of his mouth sets my teeth on edge. “Sawyer’s going to be gone a while—if he doesn’t re-enlist.”

  “He won’t do that.” Digger chuckles as if I’m a child. “He told my dad he’d be back by the time you finished college.”

  Again, I want to growl at my older brother. Why didn’t he tell me that?

  “Either way, the place won’t run itself for four years.”

  Reaching for the door, I’m ready to push past Digger and go inside the restaurant. He stops me, putting his arm around my shoulders.

  “You need to hire a foreman and let him handle everything. I’m right here, ready to do it for you.”

  “You are not my foreman.” I wriggle out of his grip. “Sawyer left me in charge. I’ll decide what needs to happen on my place.”

  He exhales an amused noise, and I continue to where Ed Daniels stands beside a booth where a few of the older guys are sitting, sharing coffee. When I walk up, they all stop talking and look at me.

  “Noel?” Mr. Daniels straightens, adjusting his cap. “How are you this morning?”

  “Fine, thanks.” My voice sounds too small, too inexperienced to me. “I was wondering if you know if there’ll be a late frost?”