“Want to jump to conclusions?” Abby wasn’t even looking at her fellow nurse. Her eyes were focused on the crescent shaped moon that was reflecting beautifully off from the lake. It was a beautiful sight. But not as beautiful as the sight of her wife holding their daughter. Or the sight of one of their sons holding their baby sister.
“I don’t know…” Tabby trailed off when she felt a petite hand on her thigh. It squeezed gently before quickly retreating to the safety of its own lap. Tabby wondered what exactly Emily had told her. Had she confessed to the text message? Or was it merely Abby had all the faith in her best friend.
“Emily has only told me that she was so happy that you finally texted her.” Abby reached down and cupped the water. She allowed it to trickle through her fingers. “She told me how you’ve reverted to ignoring her again. And she told me that she needed you more than ever. So I’m here to ask you what happened between this morning and this evening to make you once again shut out my best friend.”
Tabby watched as Abby continued to allow the water to trickle through her fingers. It was almost like she was saying how life or love was fleeting enough as it was. That people didn’t need to allow it to slip so easily through ones’ fingers as the water was trickling through hers. Coming from someone who had lost their soulmate for months at a time, she felt she had to listen.
“There are two reasons I’ve been avoiding her.” It was Tabby’s turn to stare up at the moon. It was breathtaking. The view was something she couldn’t become accustomed to. “The first is that Helen is in town. And I didn’t know how to tell her over the phone. I didn’t want to text her. She’d be worried about how I was doing. She’s worried enough as it is.”
“That’s not the real reason.” Abby had been down this road before. Reluctantly, she had been down this road before. Too many misunderstandings had occurred between she and Sam. And yet, they had always sorted them out. Their problems had always arisen from outside forces. She didn’t want that to happen between Emily and Tabby.
“No. That is a reason.” Tabby now looked at the water. The tiny waves were causing the moon to become distorted. It was how she felt her life was at the moment. She sighed heavily as she thought about how things can easily be distorted. How things can seem one way and are really another. Was it possible it was happening now, to her?
“I received a text. It was from Emily. But it wasn’t to me.” Tabby finally managed to look her friend in the eyes. Abby’s similar emerald eyes were so full of understanding and concern. It was difficult to maintain eye contact. But she needed to if she was to gage if Abby was telling the truth or if she was covering for her best friend.
“And?” Abby wasn’t about to allow anything to be revealed. All that Emily had said was that her phone had been in one spot as it sat on the charger. By the time she had returned, it was slightly out of positon. Or she thought that it was slightly out of position. It wasn’t like she had placed something there so she’d know exactly where it was.
Emily had also mentioned another potential problem. There were technically two. Both of which Abby wanted to inform Tabby of. But her best friend had asked her to remain silent in regards to the flirting she had been participating in. The issue that worried Abby was this Lena person. Could she be the one who had sent the text?
“It was referring to having dinner with someone named Lena.” Tabby sighed heavily. “It could be an old friend she hadn’t seen in years. But it sounded…” Had it sounded more intimate than an old friend? She sighed once again as she ran the words carefully through her mind. “I guess with Helen around and the distance to my heart, I just don’t know what to think.”
Abby stood abruptly. She needed to have a chat with her best friend. There was potential conflict here. One that needed to be addressed in person. While Emily had her obligations, her soulmate should forever be her most important obligation. Now she had to somehow convince the two they needed to talk. Communication was the key to any relationship.
As she looked down on her friend, Abby smiled sweetly. “I know about the distance of the heart. Sam and I were only separated by a couple hundred miles, not a few thousand. And yet I thought we were separated by the next lifetime.” Abby shook her head, not wanting to relive those feelings once more. “So before you use distance as an excuse, fight. Fight for what you believe in. Fight for who you love. I did.”
Tabby stared after the retreating form of Abby. There was a part of her that knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was right. But there was that other part of her. The side that had been awakened by the return of her ex. Helen. Not only had she destroyed their relationship back then, she was attempting to destroy her new relationship now.
The nurse quickly stood. Tabby nearly lost her balance. She would be damned if she would allow Helen to destroy what she had only recently discovered. That was the fact she had a soulmate. That she had someone that would only think of her happiness. That regretted hurting her and would with the very last breath she took.
Tabby stood on the porch as she contemplated her words carefully. The text could save her relationship or it could end it. Permanently. It was a lot of pressure she placed on herself at the moment. But she had to do something so that Emily didn’t lose faith in them. After all, what if this Lena person had an interest in her soulmate, even if it wasn’t reciprocated?
Wasn’t that what could be happening with the unexpected return of Helen? It wasn’t clear yet if her ex had only wanted to talk or if she had wanted to rekindle the romance they had once shared. Either way, she would deal with Helen. It would be for herself, Nicky and for Emily.
The nurse sent a quick text. It only said she was sorry that she hadn’t responded. That she wanted to setup a time so that they could skype. It would be better to do things face to face. It had better be soon. As much faith as Tabby had in her soulmate and their relationship, she knew after talking to Melissa and Abby that outside forces were always lurking.
The outside forces might not be on the same level as what Abby and Sam had to face, but they were still lurking. They were lurking in the recesses, waiting to explode to the surface. Tabby closed her eyes. A silent prayer was sent up to whatever gods or fates were watching over them. She hoped they were strong enough to face whatever lay ahead.
Chapter 3
It was early. Emily was flying down the countryside. The top was down on her classic, nineteen-fifty-seven, pink Cadillac. She was once again dressed in her tightest fitting blue jeans. Her short-sleeved T-shirt was black, as were the shades that covered her azure eyes. The sun wasn’t even cresting above the surrounding hills.
And yet to Emily it was already nine in the morning. It was a time when she might go for a run. She might take advantage of the lake out back of the Walker Bed and Breakfast. There was one thing she would have preferred and that was making love to her beautiful girlfriend first thing in the morning. Alas, that had not happened in so many weeks.
Weeks? As Emily had to slow down for a particularly sharp curve, a memory flashed in her mind. It wasn’t only weeks. It had been two months since she and Tabby had made love. The therapist had to slam on the breaks, eternally grateful that there was no one behind her. The images that had invaded her mind had nearly overwhelmed.
It took a moment for Emily’s breathing to return to normal and her body able to move. Maybe not with the freedom she was accustomed to, but enough so that she could once again place the Cadillac in drive. She really needed to mend things between herself and her soulmate. She needed to fly back to Middletown.
Perhaps she would this weekend. It was Thursday morning. Emily had yet to return to the hospital. The results were still pending. She found it suspicious they were taking as long as they were. Or perhaps they were being more thorough. Or more likely her mother had somehow received notice that they were performing additional tests on her husband.
Ones that Monica Dunst didn’t want performed. Ever. Emily was still wondering about the reason why her mother w
ould be so adamant about not discovering the reason behind her husband’s illness. Even if it was sadly final and no liver donor could be found, wouldn’t you want to know?
Emily slowed as she once again was back to the residential area. She planned on a quick stop at one of her old stomping grounds. It wasn’t the mall like most would think. Her family had been wealthy and she could have hung out there and spent money like it grew on trees. But it wasn’t her style. She wasn’t even certain what her style was.
As the small diner came into view, Emily smiled. It was similar to the one back in Middletown, if only because it had a fifties’ style theme. It was sadly a chain, unlike the one back home. The diner back home had been passed down from generation to generation, meaning it was family own. And it was where Tabby had made the first move.
And Emily had quickly responded. Needing to stop at the local thrift store, she decided to indulge. It wasn’t often she would eat greasy food. For some reason, she needed the comfort food. The fact her internal clock was now closer to ten informed her that she needed to eat something. After all, skipping breakfast and lunch wouldn’t be wise.
The diner was packed. Emily wasn’t surprised as it was breakfast time. People would be consuming their breakfasts in a hurry before heading off to whatever job lay ahead. Or those coming off the night shift would be relaxing and enjoying whatever food they were treating themselves with. For the therapist, the comfort food would be from her diner back in Middletown or the meals Melissa would prepare.
It was the one reason Emily wouldn’t want to move out of the bed and breakfast. And yet, she knew once she and Tabby were back together, they would want their privacy. Nicky would need his own space the older he became. They needed at least a nice two-bedroom apartment, if not a place like what Sam and Abby had purchased together.
As always, Emily was careful when she parked her baby. The pink Cadillac had never had a scratch or ding and she intended to keep it that way. If she had to walk to save her baby from being harmed, then so be it. She took a moment to check her phone. While it wasn’t on vibrate, she still wanted to make certain she hadn’t missed a text or skype message from Tabby.
They hadn’t had a face to face, much to the chagrin of the therapist. Emily knew simply having the live conversation on skype was a huge step for her soulmate. She was hoping that they would soon make the leap to video chats. If she couldn’t touch her, at least she could see Tabby’s beautiful face. At least she could hear her amazing voice.
Emily smiled when she saw the text. Tabby was planning on spending time with her son. In another week, the birthday party would take place without the therapist. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to be there. It was because it was the time her father’s lawyer had setup to go over the extensive amount of things she was now responsible for.
The therapist had attempted, over and over again, to reschedule. Lucas Dunst had managed to secure the most influential lawyers. What did that mean? It meant that they would be the busiest. She would be forced to work around their schedule. She sighed as she finally extricated herself from the driver’s seat.
Why was life so complicated? Why couldn’t her parents have been good to her so that this didn’t feel like such a complete obligation? Her father had been a little kinder to her while growing up. But he’d always been off somewhere. Most likely he was having one affair after another. She wondered if she had any siblings that would crawl out of the woodwork wanting their piece of her father’s wealth.
Emily didn’t pay attention as the door was held open for her. She merely said her thanks as she walked in, unaware of the shadow following her. When the hostess asked where the two of them wanted to be seated, it was then she realized that her shadow was so close. The therapist turned to see an all too familiar face.
It was a face she didn’t want to see. Mitch’s preliminary investigation into Lena hadn’t uncovered anything. The fact didn’t surprise Emily as both her mother and father would have insisted that all staff be completely vetted. And yet, there were things that weren’t on a piece of paper. There were things that could be easily hidden.
“I’m alone.” Emily made certain she was looking into the cook’s eyes when she said this. Grey eyes were like a kitten’s. They were innocent enough, until you stared into them long enough. Then you could see the mischievousness that lurked just below the surface. The woman was terrifying her even more.
After speaking with Abby, Emily knew that she had to speak to Tabby about how much she didn’t like the cook. How it felt as if Lena was possibly becoming a stalker. “I’ve already eaten, but I thought I could keep you company while you ate. The coffee is to die for here. And if you like those coffees you get at the fancy coffee places, they make them and at a much more affordable rate.”
“Thanks for the thought, but I’d really rather be alone.” Emily wasn’t certain what to say or do. It was obvious the hostess was becoming nervous. Nearly as nervous as she was. There were others that were waiting to be seated. “If you want a coffee, I’ll buy you one. But for the road I’m afraid. There’s just too much happening. I need to be alone.”
“You mean you need to speak to her. I get it.” Lena crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you’d cut her loose. I thought that we had an understanding.” When she reached out to brush Emily’s arm, the therapist quickly took a step back, unfortunately causing her to bump into the hostess. As if a switch had gone off inside the cook’s mind, she smiled brightly. “No worries. I’ll still have your favorite dinner. I’ll hold it for however long it takes for you to come home to me.”
Emily nearly became ill when the cook winked at her. She watched Lena walk out the door. She wondered what had just happened. Was Lena as obsessed with her as she appeared? Was she mentally unstable? It only mattered because of how dangerous she could become. “I’m sorry about that.” The hostess only smiled. She never said a word. Emily was shown to a table in the back. One where she would have a little privacy.
After glancing at the menu and deciding greasy might not be for the best after her confrontation with Lena, she decided a fruit salad with plenty of coffee was the way to start her day. Part of her had wanted to order the greasy cheeseburger, loaded with everything. But she knew with the stress of everything that she needed to eat healthy.
In the back of her mind, Emily also made sure she was aware of both her parents’ health. While her mother’s condition couldn’t be prevented, even with the healthiest of lifestyles, she wondered if her father’s could have been because of his bad habits. Or it could be because there was an outside influence. She wished she’d heard from the hospital already.
After thanking the waitress for the speedy service, Emily took a sip of her coffee before picking up her phone. While she knew she needed to tell Tabby of this threat to their relationship, it was still something she didn’t want to do over the phone. It wouldn’t even be best during a skype video chat. She sighed, wanting so badly to be home.
So instead of her soulmate, who was she to call? Emily hit the send button. Abby surely was going to become tired of her. “What are you doing?” Her best friend was out of breath. The therapist hoped she hadn’t disturbed a private moment between the two soulmates. From what Abby had told her, Sam could be quite insatiable.
Not that she wanted those images in her mind. Sam was an amazing looking woman. She was strong and take charge. Emily could understand what Abby saw in the former detective. And she could see what the raven-haired beauty saw in her best friend. And yet there was nothing of interest either woman held for her. She only had eyes for one woman.
“Sorry. I was helping Sam.” Abby knew it sounded as if she had run a marathon. But not the running kind. It wasn’t like that. As of late, Miss Alex took up both their energies. There was still time for lovemaking. But it was sweeter when they did have their moments. Still, part of her wished they could get away. Where wouldn’t matter. “We received some new equipment for the self-defense classes.”
“And I bet you were testing out the new mats.” Abby’s laughter from the other end wasn’t completely expected. And yet if Emily was truthful with herself, her best friend wasn’t as shy as she had once been. She was so much more self-confident. It had been an amazing transformation. Sam just seemed to bring it out in her.
“You know us too well.” Abby knew her friend was blushing. It was a side of her that she had grown into. A side that was always confident, but also playful. It had sadly been held under wraps by her mother and former husband. It was freedom to be herself she found with the romance of Samantha, but also the friendship of her mother-in-law. “Like you and Tabby wouldn’t do the same.”
Abby regretted the words the moment they had left her mouth. It was banter she had come to enjoy with her wife and best friend. If she had been thinking, she wouldn’t have said anything like that. While it was true that Emily and Tabby would, once they finally got over their pasts, take advantage of certain situations, for now they sadly wouldn’t.
Partly it was the physical separation. Partly it was the distance two hearts can have. Abby was familiar with this concept. Even though she and Sam were soulmates, it hadn’t been a smooth road. It wasn’t only others keeping them apart. It was the fact they had to overcome their own issues. Their own inner demons would rear their heads from time to time. And it was now happening to her best friend. “I’m sorry.”
Emily took a sip of her now cool coffee. She was grateful when the waitress topped off her coffee. The wink she graced the little redhead with caught her by surprise. Especially after the way Abby’s words had cut her deep. It was because they were so true and the therapist was missing her soulmate more with each breath she took.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s true. If I were home and things were back to some semblance of normal, we’d be taking advantage of many situations. Even with a little boy running around.” Emily took another sip of her coffee, allowing both the temperature of the beverage and the caffeine to warm her. “I hate to switch gears on you, but there’s a very important subject I need to talk to you about.”
Distance of the Heart Page 5
