Colton's Secret History

by Jennifer D. Bokal

  “Someone?”

  “I saw Julia running down the street.”

  “But you didn’t see her throw the concrete.”

  “No,” he said. “But it’s not hard to figure out what happened.”

  Reese asked, “And you didn’t see her tampering with Bridgette’s car, either. Correct?”

  “You’re correct,” said Luke.

  “Since you didn’t see what happened to either the car or the window, I can’t charge Julia with anything,” said Reese. “What I can do is ask around. Maybe some of your neighbors or the other business owners saw something.”

  “If they didn’t? What then? Are you saying that Julia will just get away with what she’s done? Believe me, I know she’s guilty. I have all the proof I need,” said Luke.

  “Calm down, man. There’s a few things I can do with Julia even if I’m not going to arrest her or charge her with a crime.”

  “Like what?” Luke asked.

  “I’ll run her name through the system and see if she has any outstanding warrants.”

  “I doubt she does,” said Luke. “So, what happens after that?”

  Reese continued, “If she doesn’t have a record, I’ll stop by her house and have a chat. Hopefully, a visit from the police will help her to understand the seriousness of her behavior.”

  “Hopefully?” Luke echoed. “I just want to make sure that Bridgette is safe, you know.”

  “You two used to date, isn’t that right?” asked Reese.

  “Back in high school,” said Luke.

  “Is she the ex-girlfriend who got you all worked up the other night?”

  Luke mumbled something that Bridgette couldn’t hear. He continued, “She was my first love and is still a special lady. It’s my job to keep her safe.”

  “That’s noble of you,” said the detective. “But I’m the expert in safety. Let’s take a look at the damage. Then I’ll talk to Julia.”

  Treading lightly, Bridgette moved across the room and shut the door. Undoubtedly, she hadn’t been meant to overhear the conversation between Luke and Reese Carpenter. Then again, what was she supposed to do with what she now knew?

  Did Luke really have feelings for her?

  And what about the kiss?

  Bridgette had spent the last two years clinging to the past. Now she had no idea how to feel about having a future. Especially one that might include Luke Walker.

  * * *

  Julia feared that she would retch. How could she have been so stupid?

  In all honesty, she didn’t even remember throwing the damned piece of concrete—a chunk of sidewalk that had broken loose. Hell, she barely remembered picking it up.

  All she recalled was the weight of the slab in her hand. The rough edges biting into her palm. The heat of anger consuming her as Luke embraced Bridgette.

  Then the concrete went airborne. As it sailed across the street, Julia had felt a sense of relief, as if she truly had launched her fury. It slammed through the window and she froze for an instant.

  Christ, who knew that she had such power and aim?

  Without a backward glance, she’d sprinted from the scene. What else was she supposed to do?

  Had she done more damage than breaking the window?

  Had Luke been cut by a shard of glass? Had the heavy concrete hit Bridgette?

  Julia pulled into her driveway, opened the car door, leaned out and emptied her stomach. Everything she’d eaten splattered across the ground. Wiping away the last of her spittle with a fast-food napkin, she asked herself again how she could have been so stupid.

  The flickering light from the TV filtered around the edges of shades drawn over the front window. Damn. Despite the late hour, her mother was awake. Julia had messed up badly.

  Would her mother be able to tell?

  And if she could, what would she do?

  Turning off the ignition, Julia stepped from the car. Her legs ached with each stride as she walked to the house.

  “That you, Julia?” her mother called from the adjacent living room.

  Julia busied herself with hanging up her coat and her purse, not daring to look in her mother’s direction. “It is, Momma.”

  “Have fun at your friend’s house?”

  “I did, Momma,” said Julia. “I’m going to get some dinner and go to bed, though. I’m real tired.”

  “Dinner? I thought you said that you were going to a barbecue.”

  Is that what she’d told her mother? Damn, Julia couldn’t remember what she’d said. Sure, just a few hours had passed, yet it seemed like days since she’d last spoken to her mother. “It was, but the sauce didn’t sit right with me.”

  “I didn’t make you a plate,” her mother said. “But if you give me a minute, I can get you a sandwich.”

  “Don’t worry,” Julia interrupted. “I’m just going to grab a bowl of cereal, or something.”

  Outside, a car’s engine idled.

  The neighbor’s dog barked.

  Julia, standing next to the coatrack, froze.

  Of course, someone could be outside for a million different reasons. Yet, Julia’s palms began to tingle, and she knew the truth. She’d been seen by Luke or Bridgette. They’d called the police.

  Tonight was not going to end well.

  She opened the front door again. There, at the curb, was a Braxville Police Department cruiser. A man with dark hair sat in the driver’s seat.

  Julia stepped outside.

  “Where are you going?” her mother called after her.

  “I forgot something in the car,” Julia yelled over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Are you going outside without your coat?”

  Julia shut the door on her mother’s question.

  Standing on the stoop, she waited as the man stepped from his vehicle. “Are you Julia?”

  For a moment, she considered lying though she knew better. Her ruse, once discovered, would only make matters worse. She gave a quick nod of her head. “I am.”

  “I’m Detective Reese Carpenter, with the Braxville Police. Can I ask where you were tonight?”

  “I know what I did was wrong,” she began. “And honestly, I’m sorry.”

  “What did you do that was wrong?” he asked.

  Did he want her to confess? Or was the police officer here for an entirely different reason? Had she already said too much? No. Detective Carpenter coming to her house was no coincidence. The more honest she was, the better it would be. Wasn’t that what the doctors at the hospital always said?

  “I got mad and threw a chunk of concrete at a window. I’m pretty sure the window broke, but I started running as soon as I heard the crack.”

  “Anything else?”

  Well, she was in for a penny, she might as well be in for a pound. “I sliced the tires on Bridgette Colton’s car,” she said, suddenly too tired to lie anymore. “I dated Luke Walker over the summer. I really thought that he was the one. We broke up and, well, he started dating someone else. Like I said, I was upset.”

  “You know that destroying property is a crime? You can be criminally charged for what you did tonight.”

  “I know,” said Julia. Tears burned her eyes. Would crying help her cause? “I really am sorry. I’ll pay for the damages, if that helps.”

  “You may very well end up being sent a bill, but that’s not for me to decide.” The police officer exhaled. “What I want is for you to stay far away from both Luke Walker and Bridgette Colton. If I hear that you’ve bothered either one of them, even a little, I’m coming back. Our chat will be different next time. You won’t receive a warning, and when I leave, you’ll be coming to the station with me. Got it?”

  “Got it,” said Julia. Was that it? Of their own accord, the corners of her mouth turned up. She pressed her thumb to
her lips, hiding the smile.

  “Try to have yourself a good night and remember what I said.”

  “I’ll stay away from Luke and Bridgette.”

  The police officer drew in a long breath and opened his mouth, ready to say something else. With a shake of his head, he slipped back into his car and closed the door. As he drove away, Julia’s knees went weak. She held on to her house for support, thankful that there’d been no real consequences.

  Turning, Julia opened the door and stepped inside. Her mother—and her wheelchair—blocked the entryway. Even in the darkness, Julia could see that her mother’s mouth was pressed into a colorless line.

  “Was everything that I just heard true? Did you really break a window and flatten somebody’s tires?”

  “If you heard all that,” Julia began. Her hands went numb and the back of her knees began to sweat. “Then you heard me say that I was sorry. You heard me admit that I’d gotten mad and also promise not to bother Luke anymore.”

  “What about his girlfriend?”

  Julia recalled the scene on the windowsill. Bridgette’s mouth pressed onto Luke’s like a sucker fish on a dirty tank. Julia’s face burned as her chest filled with shame and rage. “Her, too.”

  “You have to listen to the police officer, Julia. There are worse places to go than the hospital.”

  Julia snorted. “I doubt it.”

  “Like jail,” said her mother. “Jail’s worse than a hospital.”

  “I know, Momma,” she said, leaning on the wall. “I’m going to bed now.”

  “I thought you were hungry. What happened to having some cereal?”

  “I’ve lost my appetite,” she said, pushing from the wall and walking down the short hallway.

  “You need to be careful,” said her mother.

  Laying her hand on the doorknob, Julia turned. The TV was still on. Light spilled into the entryway, casting her mother in flickering shadows. “I’ll be careful,” Julia said.

  “And you need to leave Luke Walker alone. You know that.”

  Julia opened the door to her room. “I heard the police officer,” she said. “And I heard you.” With that, she pushed the door shut and turned on the light. Luke’s face was on every inch of her wall. Tracing a finger over a picture, she spoke. “You don’t have to worry,” she said. “I won’t abandon you.”

  Chapter 12

  Bridgette woke in a bed that she knew wasn’t hers. In an instant, moments from last night came back like a wave crashing against the shore. Her car being vandalized. The party at her parents. The kiss with Luke. The brick coming through the window. The visit by the police. And, finally, the arrangement for her to stay at Luke’s apartment, at least until the window was fixed.

  Luke insisted that Bridgette take his room and she’d been too tired to argue. Like a gentleman, he slept on the sofa. She inhaled. The sheets smelled like fresh-cut lumber, spice and the out-of-doors. They smelled like Luke.

  Dropping her feet to the floor, Bridgette stood. She twisted her tresses into a bun and secured her hair in place with a band. With one more stretch, she wandered from the bedroom. The living room and adjacent kitchen were empty, and a single sheet of paper sat in the middle of the coffee table.

  It was a note from Luke.

  His handwriting had changed little over the years.

  Good morning, his note began. Bridgette smiled, imagining that he was far too chipper for the early hour.

  I’m at work but help yourself to anything you find in the kitchen. Coffee’s fresh. There are towels in the bathroom. Stop by if you get bored. I’ll see you this afternoon.

  She set the note back on the table, inexplicably sad she had woken up to an empty apartment.

  With an entire morning to fill, she made a plan: First things first and she called a local garage to collect her car. After arrangements for a garage to tow her car had been made, she turned her attention to the Boo-fest. Thanks to Bridgette’s old roommate, the Braxville Boo-fest was about to get help from a very popular TV show. More than that, Bridgette hoped to help some well-deserving pets find their forever home.

  She read through the binder he’d been given and ninety minutes later, Bridgette had written a short press release. After that, she showered, got ready for the day and finished a Google search. With an address written on the back of her note, she locked the front door and descended the stairs to the street.

  Walking past the hardware store, she peered into the window. More than a dozen customers stood in line at the counter. She was happy to see the place so busy. All the same, she’d hoped to catch a glimpse of Luke.

  Pressing her lips together, she recalled the feeling of his mouth on hers and a shiver of desire danced along her skin. What would have happened last night if Luke’s ex hadn’t shattered the window?

  Then again, Bridgette knew. She’d have woken up with him in the bed, not on the sofa.

  It brought up another question. How would she have felt about their lovemaking this morning? Was Luke a mistake she’d soon regret?

  With a shake of her head, she started walking.

  “Good morning,” a voice called out. She recognized it at once and stopped. It was him.

  The door to the hardware store was open and Luke stood on the threshold. “I wanted you to know that I got a text from Reese Carpenter,” Luke said. “He stopped by Julia’s house last night. She admitted to throwing the concrete that broke the window. She also said she was sorry for overreacting and promised to leave me—and you—alone.”

  “Thanks for the update,” she said. “I’m glad that everything got sorted out with your ex.”

  Luke said, “Me, too.” He paused. “Where are you headed?”

  Bridgette looked at her note and read the address.

  “Is that Perfect Pets Dog Shelter?”

  “I want to see if we can get some of their dogs to participate in the parade.”

  “I’ll go with you,” said Luke. “I know the shelter’s director.”

  Of course he knew the director. Luke Walker knew everyone in town. “What about your store. It looks busy.”

  “My dad helps out on Saturday mornings. He’ll be okay for a few minutes.”

  Sure, having Luke help with introductions would be great. All the same, that meant they’d be spending more time together. It wasn’t that she disliked Luke; in fact, it was the complete opposite. Luke was attractive, smart, considerate and hardworking. He was everything she admired in a man.

  And that was the problem.

  Luke was damn close to being perfect. And Bridgette was damn close to losing her heart to him again.

  Would that be such a bad thing?

  Then again, how would he feel once he knew why their sweet summer love had turned sour?

  * * *

  The morning sky was clear and bright blue, promising a sunny fall day. All the stores in the downtown were open and filled with patrons, leaving Luke more than a little pleased.

  Perfect Pets Dog Shelter was located two blocks from the downtown shopping district, where businesses and residential properties started to blend. Located in a renovated Victorian mansion, a wooden cutout of a dog hung from a light pole at the gate.

  “Here we are,” said Luke, gesturing to the brick walkway.

  Bridgette turned to the walkway and he followed her to the porch. They opened the front door and the sound of happy barking greeted them.

  Steven Faulkner, the director of the shelter, looked up from a reception desk that sat in the one-time foyer.

  “Luke,” said the older man, getting to his feet. “Good to see you. What brings you by today?”

  Hand on Bridgette’s back, Luke said, “Let me introduce you to my friend and the newest chair of the Boo-fest parade, Bridgette Colton.”

  “Colton, eh. Are you one of Fitz and Lilly’s kids?”


  Bridgette smiled and stepped forward. “I am,” she said, shaking hands with Steven. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Luke continued, “Bridgette has an idea for the Boo-fest parade, but we need your help.”

  “Well, you’ve got me intrigued,” said the older man. “What can I do?”

  Bridgette spent a few minutes outlining her plan of partnering with the shelter to have dogs attend the Boo-fest and participate in the parade. She concluded with the opportunity to have them featured on the popular TV show, Good Morning, Wichita. As she ended her speech, Bridgette asked, “What do you think?”

  Steven was nodding and smiling, which Luke assumed was a good sign. “I think that you’ve come up with a great way to get much needed exposure for the shelter. And even better, a way to get some of the animals into their forever homes. I’m sure we can have a few at the parade, provided we pick the right ones.”

  “Of course,” said Bridgette. “We’d only want dogs who are comfortable with a crowd and lots of attention.”

  “Let me give you the grand tour.” Pointing to a winding staircase that led to the second floor, Steven said, “I have an apartment upstairs and then also run a low-cost vet clinic on Thursday mornings.”

  “You’re a veterinarian?” Bridgette asked.

  “Semiretired. My wife, Helen, and I always wanted to run a dog sanctuary. So, when I sold my practice, we remodeled the house and opened the shelter.”

  “That’s a great retirement story,” said Bridgette. “Where’s Helen now?”

  “She’s in Kansas City, Missouri. Our oldest daughter just gave birth to another baby. A grandson.”

  “Congratulations,” said Luke as Steven beamed with pride.

  “Anyhow,” said Dr. Faulkner, “follow me.” He ushered them through a set of metal doors that led to the back of the house. All the walls had been knocked down on the main floor, leaving a single room with more than a dozen pens lining each wall. Most of the pens were occupied with barking, happy dogs.

  Kneeling next to the first pen, she reached her fingers through the wire door. “Hello, boy,” she said. A white-and-black dog with a short coat sniffed her fingers.