by Allie Bock
“My mom was so mad at us. You had to rush me home to put on the dress I wore to your prom the year before.”
“That green dress. It was beautiful on you.” Sighing, my eyes flashed.
I was nineteen years old again and I was taking Delilah to her senior prom. When she walked down the stairs at her mother’s house, the world stopped. That green dress. It was made for her and I loved it when she wore it the year before for my senior prom. A look of nostalgia crossed Delilah’s face as if she were also remembering that night. Was there something there? Something that missed how we used to be? Her brown eyes got wider, and she leaned closer to me. Her lips parted when a throat clearing jerked us back to reality.
“Would you like to order?” The waitress asked sweetly.
Delilah dropped my hand and returned to the menu. “I would like the spaghetti and giant meatball.” She winked over at me as I tried not to laugh.
“I will have the chicken alfredo.” The waitress spun on her heel back to the kitchen, leaving Delilah to sip from her water.
“So, you and Dr. Glanders?” I leaned back to prop my leg up on the seat as Delilah choked on her water.
“Yep,” She flicked a couple of drops of water at me. “We dated for a bit. Nothing serious.”
“That’s too bad. He looked at you like you were the last woman on earth.”
“I don’t need a man like that in my life.” She shrugged. “He needed to be needed and it caused a lot of tension. Not to mention he was boring.” She rolled her eyes up to look at the ceiling.
“Are you going to go to lunch with him?” I realized I had twisted my paper napkin into a small knot.
“Maybe.” She leaned on the table. “Or maybe not.” Her eyes glinted, her hair falling over her shoulders. “Would that bother you?”
I wasn’t going to admit it to her, but it bothered me greatly. I sipped my sweet tea, surprised at my reaction to her question. She leaned closer still. Mischief danced in her eyes.
“Maybe.” I leaned closer to her. “Maybe it does or maybe it doesn’t.”
I was so close I could see the gold specks in her irises, the ones that I had forgotten were there. Her hair swished forward, and the lavender scent of her shampoo wafted towards me. It reminded me of another time where I was close enough to see the gold specks in her eyes and the scent of lavender surrounded us. That night had been magical but had changed everything between us. Our first time together. Her hair splayed out around us and nothing but being together mattered to us.
I pulled back from her. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t lead her into believing that I could be there for her. I wasn’t strong enough. Walking away from her had been easier than staying with her. I knew I broke her heart, but I couldn’t make myself stay for her. I was too weak to be her stronghold. I gulped the sweet tea.
“You and the doc would make a nice couple.” I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. Her face fell. Her eyes narrowed and glistened. She tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Excuse me, I need to visit the ladies’ room.” She slid out of our booth just as the waitress brought our food. “That was mean, Kade.” She stormed to the back of the store.
I slumped in my seat. Pain spiked from my ribs at the sudden movement. I popped a couple of pills. It was for the best. She deserved someone to be there for her. I failed her once and I was afraid it would happen again. I didn’t know if I could be the man she deserved.
Delilah
THE WATER RAN IN THE sink, swirling around the drain. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I’d escaped just in time before the tears started to fall. My mascara lined my lower lids and dripped down my cheek. I took a paper towel and dabbed at my eyes until the black was on the towel and not on my skin. I pinched my cheeks the way my grandmother used to do when I was little. She would dry my tears and then pinch my cheeks, saying it brought life back into them. I pushed my hair back into a low ponytail and straightened my shoulders.
“You can do this, Delilah.” I coached myself in the mirror. “He’s a stupid, obnoxious boy. You can do this. Think of the children.” The children needed me to complete this assignment. The money would also feed the horses through the winter. People and horses were depending on me. I glared at myself again and turned to head back to the table.
Kade was on the phone with someone who was making him laugh. I stopped dead in my tracks realizing that it was my phone he was talking on. I cautiously approached the booth.
“Hang on. Here she is.” He handed the phone over to me, smirking. “It’s your friend Melanie.”
“Hey, Melanie,” I said cautiously.
“Delilah, I have some good news for you!”
“Lay it on me. I could use something good.” Kade’s eyebrows rose at this.
“I talked to Mr. Giffery’s lawyer today,” she paused and held her breath. The silence stretched for several minutes.
“Come on. You’re killing me here! What did he say?” I bounced in my seat.
“There might be a chance that we could rent the stables and a few acres for a couple of months. His children are going to sell the property, but he anticipates it is going to take a long time to sell that much land.”
“Oh, but that is only a temporary solution.” At my words, Kade stopped eating and watched me. I fidgeted in my seat.
“I know, and I don’t know how long we can keep the horses at Lindsay’s place. They don’t have enough hay to feed your crew for the winter. Mr. Giffery’s place could buy us months or years... How have things been going on your end?”
“Alright. I have all the paperwork filled out for the permits once we have a sure place to be.” Kade’s eyes bored into me and I ignored him.
“Hang in there, girl. We will find something.”
“I know. It’ll get better in a few months.” I smiled a bit as I thought about how far Kaleb’s money would go to help us. It would secure a loan or even be a down payment on a place. I sighed as we hung up. I placed my phone face down on the table.
“What’s going on?” Kade leaned his elbows on the table.
“Um...Melanie and I are trying to start a business.” I don’t know why I didn’t tell him about our plans. It didn’t feel like the right time. I wanted to keep this to myself, at least for right now.
“Is there anything I could help with?” The question startled me. Kade was good with horses, but children? I doubt he would know anything about them.
“No, I’m good.” I shook my head, and he shrugged.
My steaming pile of spaghetti sat in front of me. I stabbed the meatball with my fork. It flew off the table and hit Kade in the chest. A large splotch of red stood out in the middle of his white T-shirt. His mouth dropped open into an O. A laugh burst out from me as he dabbed at his shirt.
“I think that is payback for the Greg comment.” I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face. I clutched my side to keep upright. Kade stared at me before he started to laugh before pain crossed his face.
“My ribs hurt too much to laugh.” He breathed out. “I did deserve that.”
“I think I should stay away from the meatballs.”
I missed hanging out and laughing with Kade. It brought back warm feelings of us spending hours at this restaurant talking and hanging out. A warmness spread throughout my body. Occasionally, I caught glimpses of the person I knew all those years ago. Maybe, he was still there. I mentally shook myself. I don’t need a man in my life. I smiled at him when he grinned at me and winked. My heart broke into a thousand small pieces before I could stop it.
Chapter 11 October 3rd
Delilah
The three of us fell into a routine. It was almost like being back in high school when I was dating Kade and part of the Kisment family. Kaleb had breakfast going when I got up. He read the paper as I made the coffee because Kaleb’s coffee was awful. He left for his day on the ranch and I went to check on Kade. He was either up watching the tiny TV on his dresser or scrolling throu
gh his phone. Or if he had a rough night with the pain, he might still be sleeping. This morning was no different. The last few nights were good as his ribs finally started to knit together. He could lay down to sleep instead of sitting up. He also was able to use his crutches for short distances. I swung open the door, carrying a tray of scrambled eggs and salsa. Kade was curled over on his side, squinting at his phone.
“Hey, Kade, what are you looking at?” I set the tray down and counted out the medications he needed to take with his food.
“The videos of the bull ride last night. But they are so small on my phone, it’s hard to watch the guys ride.” He glared at his phone before sitting up. “The eggs smell good.”
“Kaleb made them,” I said, earning me a brilliant smile from him in the morning as I wasn’t a good cook. “Who won?” With that simple question, his smile turned upside down.
“Jose Garcia... again. He’s been winning everything since I’m out of the picture.” He stabbed his eggs harshly sending bits and pieces flying throughout the air. “What I wouldn’t give to wipe that smug smile off of his face.” He shoveled his eggs into his mouth like a starving man.
“When’s the next competition?” I picked up power bar wrappers and sports drink bottles from his nightly snack. Then, opened the drapes.
“Tonight.” Kade squinted at me in the sunlight. The doorbell peeled throughout the house causing Zip to leap off the bed, barking in the direction of the front door. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“No, it’s not even seven AM... I’ll go see who it is,” I said as I made my way to the front of the house.
A shadow in the shape of a woman darkened the window in the screen door. I swung it open to see a woman with bright red hair standing with her finger raised to ring the bell, again. She had a large suitcase next to her with giant flamingoes parading around. Her red lips opened and closed into a large O. She was beautifully dressed in a flowing western dress with a silver and turquoise belt wrapping around her hips. Her eyes fell to my worn-out blue jeans and faded T-shirt. I tucked a hair behind my ear, trying not to feel like a slob.
“Oh, darling.” She extended a well-manicured hand towards me. “I’m Veronica.” Her hand was limp in mine. “I came to help Kade get better.”
“Kade?” I asked, my brain not catching up on what was going on.
“Yes, darling. He lives here.” She gave me a strange look and flounced by me into the house. She wheeled her suitcase into the kitchen and looked around. “Well, where is he?”
“Hang on, I’ll go tell him.”
I shook my head as I made my way down the hallway. I opened the door and stuck my head in. Kade was sitting in the middle of the bed, trying to get his pants over the bulky cast on his leg.
“Let me help you.” Sighing, I marched over to him and yanked the jeans off his skinny legs. I adverted my eyes from what was above his knees. “There’s no way these jeans are going to fit over this cast.” I went through his dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of basketball shorts. “Here, wear these.”
I tossed them at him. He caught them with one hand and winked at me.
“Who was at the door?” He slid into his shorts.
“She said her name was Veronica.” I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. A smile split his face before confusion clouded his eyes. “I take it you know her.”
“Yes, I told her not to come.”
“Is she an old girlfriend? Or a current girlfriend?” I tried to keep my tone light, but my voice cracked.
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not really.” He reached for his crutches and left the room.
I had sunk on his bed. What did that mean? Who was this person to him? Why had he not said anything? Why did I care? That thought concerned me more than the woman in the kitchen. Maybe, I wasn’t as impartial to him as I led myself to believe. Fury at myself and my unwanted feelings curled in my belly. I clutched the bedsheets in my fists and gritted my teeth. From the kitchen, happy screams in response to Kade’s deep voice. I whipped the sheets from the bed and threw them into the pile at the door. “That man.” It was going to be a long week for me. I sighed as I gathered up the sheets and stomped to the laundry room. The door slammed shut behind me
Kade
WHEN A DOOR SLAMMED further within the house, I cringed. That was Delilah. My gaze fell to the woman draped around my neck. I guess she was pretty, but I’d never thought of her in that way. Many of the other bull riders drooled over her when she was around, but Ben, my traveling partner and Veronica’s husband, always kept them away. He had been my closest friend on the circuit. A couple of years ago, he had an accident like mine, but he didn’t make it. I made a promise to him on his death bed to watch out for Veronica and their little girl. I was caring for them ever since. I pried her fingers from around my neck and steered her towards the living room.
“Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee, something stronger?” I asked.
Her big eyes slid down me from my cast to my crutches to my panting breath. Nodding, she brushed her fingers along my cheekbone, fluttering her eyelashes.
“We can sit in here and catch up.” I motioned to the living room and hopped my way to the doorway.
“That sounds fantastic.” She smiled brightly at me and sunk into the couch cushions. “Come sit next to me.” She patted the cushion next to her and fluttered her eyelashes.
“Um, I’ll get drinks first.”
What was going on? Veronica had never acted like this before. There were no sparks or connection between us. The eyelashes, really. A sinking realization settled in my stomach. She had more than friendly feelings toward me. Why else would she be here? None of my other friends came to visit. Not that I blamed them. I had been a horrible friend to everyone from Sunnydale. I poured water into the coffee pot and pressed start. It gurgled and bubbled to life. Within a few minutes, it was filling the carafe` below. As most of the mugs were mismatched, different shapes, and chipped, I reached for the largest clean one to pour the coffee in it.
“What exactly do you think you are doing, Kade Tanner Kisment?” The voice startled me that I spilled some coffee on the counter. I wiped at it with my sleeve.
“Getting coffee for the guest.”
“Obviously, but how do you intend to carry it without spilling?” Delilah stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and feet spread. Anger rolled off her towards me.
“I can manage.” I chuckled inwardly. Delilah was jealous. It looked good on her.
One dark eyebrow arched upward as she watched me. I grabbed the mug with my good hand and held on to the crutch. I pivoted in place. My balance swung forward and backward, and the coffee lurched in the cup like it was on a ship. She smirked at me. I tried again, but I could not get myself to move forward. “Dee, please help me.” I pouted and gave her big sad eyes. “I can’t figure this out.”
“It’s not meant to be figured out. It can’t be done without spilling or you falling,” she said as she took the mug from me. She poured two more mugs and found a large cutting board that she improvised into service as a tray. “Let’s go entertain your guest.” She rolled her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking.
Veronica sat on the couch flipping through a cattle producer’s magazine. Her stilettoes rested on the coffee table. Delilah snorted and then coughed behind me. Veronica glanced up at the noise.
“Kade, sit next to me.” She purred as she moved over, patting the seat next to her.
“If it’s all the same to you, the recliner is more comfortable for my leg.” I hopped over to the overstuffed recliner in the corner. Delilah put down the tray, handing the largest mug to Veronica, and then she came over to help me get my leg elevated on a pillow.
“I’ll be right back with some ice.” She whispered in my ear. Her soft breath caused a shiver to go down my spine. Then, she was gone before I could respond. Veronica cleared her voice, drawing my attention over to her.
“Your maid is very pretty.” She s
tirred sugar into her coffee. I shot her a look, but she avoided my eyes, concentrating on her coffee.
“She’s not a maid. She’s a good friend of mine who also happens to be a nurse.” I reclined the chair back. “Her name is Delilah.” My gaze held steady on her. She blushed and added more cream to her coffee. Delilah came back into the room carrying an arm full of reusable ice packs. She packed them around my leg before taking the chair in the opposite corner with her coffee.
“Veronica, where are you from? Kade has never mentioned you.” Delilah smiled sweetly before sipping her drink.
I sighed. Oh man, the claws were out.
“I’m from Amarillo. Kade and I have been friends for an exceedingly long time.” She handed the sugar to Delilah. “I haven’t heard of you, either... Now that you mention it.”
Should I leave the room? Should I feign sleep? The tension in the room increased exponentially as each woman sized the other up. I cleared my throat, trying to interrupt the conversation. Both women looked at me. Oh no, I hadn’t thought past the diversion. What to discuss?
“Veronica, how’s Claire?” I mentally slapped myself with that one.
“Little Claire so wanted to come and see you. But as it is a school night, she is staying with my mother and father.”
“Who’s Claire?” Delilah looked from me to Veronica and back again.
“She’s my daughter and Kade’s helping me raise her. He’s such a good dad.” Veronica smiled at me with her eyes shining. If she were a cat, she’d be purring. I glanced over at Delilah. Her eyes were shining, too, but I expected for a vastly different reason.
“You have a daughter?” Delilah’s words were low and raspy as they cut right through me. My heart shattered at the sadness, loss, and yearning in her eyes.
“Dee.” I started. The shrill ring of her phone interrupted me.
