by Rimmy London
A familiar sense of guilt stirred deep inside, but with a quick breath, she pushed the pedal down. It would be an easy trip, after all, and she'd be home in no time.
The dealership was in a part of the state she'd never been to, although she'd heard the name of the town before. Allensberg, a place where people pay big money for unnecessary luxuries like a classic black California license plate. They weren't busy worrying about lunch money for their kids or socks without holes. It was surprising that the old wagon would be in such a high-class town.
Abby unbuckled Ava from her car seat and held her small hand, walking slowly to allow for her daughter's miniature stride. The building was nice, with a glass showroom displaying a classic black Mustang and a gray-striped orange Camero. They rotated slowly, the sun glimmering off their custom paint jobs from every angle. She looked around, not seeing anything resembling the dusty old wagon she was looking for.
The doors slid open and a tall, smiling man with jet black hair welcomed her, bowing slightly. "Hello, ma'am, welcome. What can I do for you?"
"Hello." Abby wished she'd printed off a picture of the car. She might be entirely in the wrong place. "I'm looking for a specific car from my childhood. It was an old wagon with vanity plates G-V-M-E-S-U-N. I saw it on your website, but now I'm wondering if I'm at the wrong place. Do you have anything like that?"
"Ah, a vintage lover." He winked. "I know the very car, follow me."
They crossed through the showroom and out a backdoor, to a lot filled with classics. Most of them were in prime condition, but a few were rusty and faded, giving her hope that the wagon might be among them.
Little Ava stumbled, and Abby caught her just in time. "Oops." She scooped her daughter up. "Sorry, punkin'. Am I going too fast?" Ava’s head rested on her shoulder, and her eyes drifted half-closed. Abby held her carefully as she hurried to keep up.
They passed row after row, finally turning down a pathway near the end of the lot. Abby could see a glimpse of a low silver bumper, the body of the car coming into view just as they stopped in front of it.
The wagon.
Its plates were exactly as she remembered, and she couldn't help but feel a little pride and a lot of relief. She wasn't going crazy, at least not as severely as she'd feared. There really was a station wagon.
"Is this the one?" the man asked.
"Yes, that's it." Abby placed her hand on the hood, balancing a sleeping Ava in the other arm and wishing the car could talk. Where had it been these past dozen years? What did it know?
"I'm glad you found it. Are you in a purchasing mood, then?" He whipped out a tablet from his suit coat, tapping on the screen a few times. "I'd love to get a transaction settled for you and have you on your way as quickly as possible."
"Oh, no." Abby shook her head. "I'm not here to buy it, I just need to find out anything I can about the owner." She glanced up to see the tall man's brow furrowed. "I mean, do you know anything about him… or her?" She was beginning to realize how stalker-ish she sounded. "This was a family car of a friend of mine growing up. I've lost track of the friend but couldn't believe I'd found the car. I hoped one would lead to the other?" She crossed her fingers that this was a psychologically sound reason.
"I see." He peered over his tablet at her for a few seconds. "Well, it's relatively new to our lot, but I can't promise you that the person who sold it to us is the same owner you remember. The car may have changed hands numerous times since then. Where was it you said you grew up?"
Abby shifted Ava in her arms, resisting the memories that poured in. "I moved around a bit, more or less the Villa District." She knew what his reaction would be and immediately wished she'd made up a lie on the spot. However much he must've tried to repress it, a wrinkle appeared at the bridge of his nose, giving him a very distinct look of disgust before he wiped it away.
"I see. Well, let's head inside and see what we can find out about the seller. A lot of the information is private, but we may have something that can be of use."
His tone had changed, making Abby bristle. Instead of having a conversation, she was now being talked down to—patronized. It rang out in the way he no longer turned toward her when speaking and in the sudden absence of his smile. Instead, his face was stony and cool, likely biding his time with her for as long as he had to.
Abby checked her thoughts, reminding herself that he had every right to abhor the Villa District. After all, she did.
Ava squirmed a little in her sleep, and Ava struggled to balance her. At two years old, she was getting heavy, fast.
"It's all right, darling," the man whispered, opening the back door for them. "We'll have you out of here in no time."
I bet you will. Abby couldn't help it. Her thoughts had taken a downturn, and now they were free-falling. She fought the sense of worthlessness that was building inside, reminding herself that her value had nothing to do with her upbringing.
She lifted her gaze from the floor, pulling her shoulders back. "So, how long ago did your dealership purchase the car? Do you have a date?"
They'd reached an open office, a desk in the corner of the room. The man nodded. "Yes, of course. It was last week." He began typing at the computer. "Man came in, said he was ready to sell. The car hadn't been kept up, so he sold cheap. Didn't seem to matter to him what we bought it for." He looked up at Abby with a sheepish grin. "I feel a little bad about that. Perhaps if he'd known what surfers would be willing to pay to strap their board atop an old wagon like that one, he might've asked for more."
Abby smiled back, feeling some of her negativity ease.
"Here we are. Kyle Abbott, one week ago today. He recently moved back to the area, we were told." He leaned back in his chair. " That's pretty much all I have. Does that help?"
Abby couldn't answer, her throat had tightened enough to leave her feeling strangled. She studied the floor for a little while. "What did he look like, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Well, he hadn't shaved in a couple of weeks, probably hadn't showered either, to be honest. He was about as dusty as that old car. About as beat up too." He rubbed a hand across his chin. "He looked just… well, lost."
Abby felt a touch of relief. His description didn't match Daylen in the least. "And would you happen to have a way for me to contact him? A phone number or address?" Her hands shook at the thought, and she hugged Ava tighter.
"I'm sorry, I can't release that information."
"Hmm." She leaned against the desk.
"Perhaps if you had us contact him and give him your number?" His eyebrows were lifted hopefully.
"No." Abby took a sudden step back. "I mean, I don't know if he even remembers me. It was a long time ago. I'll just try to get hold of a family member. I think there are still a few living in the area. Thank you so much." She turned and walked to the door.
The man hurried ahead of her, pulling it open, but before she could pass, he held his hand out, stopping her. "Before you go, I—I need to apologize." His eyes met hers, sincere and deep with none of the showroom manager left in his expression. "I grew up in the Villa District as well, and it was a shock to hear the name again. I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression."
Abby couldn't help but reach for his arm, her heart filling with gratitude at his confession. All the shame and embarrassment she allowed into her thoughts instantly vanished. "Thank you."
He took her hand for a moment as something passed between them, an unspoken connection through shared trials.
"You have a good day, now." He smiled again, and this time, Abby returned it.
The drive home was full of thought. Ava slept soundly, giving her mind time to dissect all that she'd learned. It seemed all too coincidental that Daylen and Kyle would show up in her life at the same time. And what about Ava's gift? That was real; it had come from someone and now that Abby knew she wasn't crazy, she doubted very much that it had been her. Plus, if Kyle was back in the area, didn't that make things fairly obvious?
She sig
hed, catching sight of the coastline in the distance. They were almost home. The familiar gravel drive and sight of Poppyridge Inn was a warm welcome. With Ava still sleeping, she tilted her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. Maybe things were fine. What if Kyle moved back to the area, somehow found out about Ava's birthday, and just felt like sending a nostalgic gift? There could be nothing more to it than that.
The passenger's side door opened and she jumped, surprised to see Chase settling in the seat next to her. "You're home early." She smiled.
But it wasn't returned.
"I'm just wondering why you didn't tell me where you were headed today." Chase pulled out his phone, holding up a map with a route to the car dealership highlighted in purple. "A patient canceled. I was going to come home after lunch and wanted to see if you'd gone out anywhere so I could meet you there and surprise you." He turned back to her. "But I guess I was the one surprised."
"Oh." Abby's stomach turned at the thought that he didn't trust her. She wasn't doing anything wrong—did he have to know every time she went anywhere? "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but with the way you've been diagnosing me lately, I wanted some proof first." Her tone was sharper than she wanted, and the crushed look in his eyes had her feeling like dirt.
He took a deep breath. "Okay, you're right, I have been jumping to conclusions. And if you felt like you needed to do this on your own, I respect that." His eyes met hers in the silence. "So, what proof did you get?"
"I found the car, the one Kyle was in. It was the last time I saw him. His family was moving to somewhere in Mexico, and they left in an old station wagon with the plates GVMESUN." She continued, talking about the dealership and the car, how she felt when she saw it. She told him about the man and the showroom and what she learned. It was all so freeing, to be able to tell him she had proof from someone else that Kyle Abbott really existed, that the car was real, and she'd seen it. In the end, Chase was nodding, but he didn't look as pleased as she thought he should. His lips were still downturned, and he didn't make eye contact.
"You know, Abby, I don't know what to say." He finally looked up, but his expression was strange. "It's hard to admit this, but I looked up the dealership where you went and they're out of business. There's nothing there, Abby. The image I searched was a dirt lot with a half-broken fence around it. No building. No showroom. It's vacant."
Abby's jaw sagged. "What?" She shook her head. "It must've been old information, Chase. I was there, you weren't. Do you think I'm making this up?"
"I don't know what to think." Chase rubbed both hands across his face. His hair was askew, tousled by his nervous habit of tangling his fingers through it. "You're not acting like you're hallucinating, so I don't think that's it. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you saw Kyle or your father, but this is different. The phone number was disconnected, the information was recent. There's nothing there." His eyes took on a slightly wild fear. "So where were you, where did you take Ava? Do you even know?"
"Oh my gosh, Chase. I know what I did and what I saw. I was there, at a car dealership. Maybe it's new!" She threw her hands in the air. "Let's drive there together, right now."
"Mommy?" Ava's voice was soft and sleepy, and she smiled. "We're home!" She clapped her hands, and Abby felt completely devastated. From Chase's point of view, she was a crazy person running off with his daughter. Was that what she did? The horror of such a possibility silenced the words in her throat.
"Honey"—Chase's hand settled on hers, holding it softly—"I think we need to have you go in for an evaluation, there are some very mild medications that could help keep your thoughts from wandering."
He made it sound like she was just daydreaming. "I think we should drive out there right now." In the backseat, Ava squirmed against the straps of her car seat, grunting quietly as she pulled on the buckle.
"Ava's tired." Chase reached back and unbuckled her. "Let's just relax tonight, and we can go tomorrow, okay?"
Abby watched Ava crawl into the front seat with Chase, standing on his lap and patting his face happily. She sighed. "You're right, we can go tomorrow. If it's not there, I'll schedule an appointment."
"It'll be okay, Abby." Chase leaned over and kissed her, and she wondered if his thoughts were swirling the way hers were. Dizzying, like her head would topple off her shoulders any second. "Tomorrow." He whispered the promise in her ear and wrapped his arms around her.
Tomorrow.
Chapter 10
The drive to the dealership was more awkward than he wanted. Chase worried how Abby might react if they got to their destination and found it abandoned. He shifted in his seat and glanced over, watching her gaze out the window in silence.
He cleared his throat. "I talked to my parents yesterday, and they're hoping to come out for a visit soon." She looked back at him, and her smile seemed genuine enough; he hoped it was.
"That would be nice." She turned back to the window.
"Yeah, they wanted to make it out in a couple weeks. What are reservations looking like then? Maybe we could keep a room open just to be sure."
"Mm," she murmured, although it sounded slightly like an agreement.
Chase leaned toward her, getting a look at her face. "So, do you know what reservations are like then?"
"Hm?" She turned, looking surprised. "Oh, reservations. I'm sure we have a room open. I'll block it for them."
The car was silent, and Chase again felt anxious about what they would find at the end of their journey. When they were a few miles away, he began to slow down, searching his mind for any reasonable excuse to turn around. But the road went by just the same, and at the end of it, they pulled up to a dirt lot with a broken fence.
Abby got out. "No, wait. This isn't the spot, it was down a little farther."
"This is where the address leads to." Chase felt a pain burrowing in his middle. Dealing with things like this at work was one thing, but when it came to the love of his life, it was quite another.
"Let's just drive down and see." She got in and pointed up the road. "There might be something, maybe I typed it in wrong or wasn't paying attention."
Chase drove down the road, not sure what to say. In the end, they came to a culdesac, and he began a slow U-turn.
"Hold on, that was it. Right there."
She opened her door, and he pressed the brake quickly. "Are you sure?" He shouted, but the door closed in his face. He looked back at Ava, happy, and watching out her window. When she turned her head and noticed Abby was gone, she reached her hands out.
"Wont—out!"
"Okay, Ava, let's go."
They joined Abby, pacing through the dirt.
"See this fence?" She pointed to the long stretch of fence along the back. Chase nodded. "Well, this was where he took us. The building was right there." She turned and pointed behind them.
"Abby, it's not possible." Chase hadn't meant to interrupt, but he couldn't stand silent anymore. Why was she still trying to justify her delusions? The building wasn't here. Period.
"I know it's not possible, but it's what happened. Really. Look at these cars, these were all here. I saw them yesterday. I was here, and the man walked Ava and me through like this—Oh!" She knelt by a trail in the dirt. "Look, here's where Abby fell. I was walking too fast, and she couldn't keep up. But I caught her."
"Bee…" Chase glanced down at a mark in the dirt. "This could be anything, and if these are the cars you saw yesterday, where's the station wagon?"
Her expression fell. "It's not here."
"And you think everything was packed up?" He scanned their surroundings. "That's pretty hard to believe. Why would anyone do that?"
"I know. I mean, I don't know. It's hard to believe, but it happened. He even knew about Kyle." She glanced back at his face, hesitating. "Let's go to the high school and find some records for him."
Chase knelt in front of Ava. “Do you remember this place?” His daughter smiled at him and looked around. “Did you see all the shiny cars
with mommy?”
“Tars?” Ava swung her arms and spun in a circle.
"No, she—" Abby waited until Chase stood and faced her. “She fell asleep.”
Although the whole situation looked doubtful, Abby’s mood was up even as they stood in a big section of dirt, deciphering marks on the ground. But if they didn't find anything at the high school, she would have to admit that her mind was playing tricks on her. And the longer she allowed it to happen, the more it would—that much he was sure of.
"Okay, let's go to the high school." He scooped Ava up and swung her around, making her squeal. Setting her on his shoulders, he held her legs just as she began kicking and giggling. Abby followed behind, tickling her and laughing.
"Oh no, it's Mommy!" Chase ran a careful bounce back to the car, laughing with Abby at the pure delight this brought Ava. But when she saw the car door open, she began struggling. Chase held on tighter to avoid dropping her. "Hold on, Ava, careful."
"No!" she protested, practically diving off his back.
"Whoa." Chase pulled her from his shoulders and set her in her car seat, buckling her in. "One more place, and then we can go to the park, okay?"
"Swings?" She was waiting for a promise, and Chase was happy to give it.
"Swings." He spoke in unison with Abby, smiling down at their daughter. But when he turned to Abby, she had her hand settled over her heart. "One more, I promise. He'll be there."
Whether he hoped to find a person named Kyle or not, he wasn't sure. He only hoped for something good, because Abby deserved it.
They reached the high school a little after one in the afternoon and, by the looks of it, they'd come on an early release day. Students were filing out from every door, eager to speed out of the parking lot as recklessly as possible. Chase parked in the emptiest section, as far away from another car as he could, which happened to be conveniently close to the office.
