Presley had hoped Morgan would be a leaf in the wind like all the rest of the women had been. Brandon never stayed with one woman for long, and he couldn’t stay single between them for long either. It was obvious he was looking for something and not finding it. Presley had always hoped it was because he was looking for her, but Morgan had been different.
She had been exotic and wealthy, vacationing for the summer to get away from her busy city life. With her beautiful dark hair and stunning blue eyes, she had hooked him from the beginning, and they had been inseparable. Presley had lost her best friend that summer long before she left town.
She should have told him how she felt before Morgan came along, but she had been too afraid, and she’d always thought she would have a little more time.
An incessant rapping at the front door broke her reminiscing, and she looked up to see Trudy frantically waving from the other side.
This had better be good. She knows I close at six.
“You’ll never guess what I just heard.” Trudy’s excitement was punctuated by the squealing of her voice. Her trademark overalls were covered in paint splotches, and a few random splatters dotted her face and outer coat as well. A red bandanna covered her dark hair. She must have been painting recently, though it was too dark for her to have been painting outside.
“What?” Presley asked, though she was not very curious. In Star Lake, people got excited if Max put a new dish on the menu. Well, some got excited. The old, crotchety people complained that the menu wasn’t the same, and they couldn’t find their favorites.
“Paula said she saw new blood come into town today. A hottie.”
Presley took this with a grain of salt. For one thing, Paula was the town’s gossip, and if she didn’t have truthful tidbits, she tended to make them up just to have something to share. For another, Paula was in her forties, but still dressed like she was twenty in tight skirts and cleavage baring tops. She was so man hungry that she thought anything male on two legs was a hottie. She once tried to date the preacher who had to be close to seventy.
“Well, then good for Paula.”
Trudy shook her head and rolled her eyes. “No, Paula said he was young. Like your age.”
Trudy wasn’t much older than Presley, but she had decided she was too artistic for men. She didn’t want to be tied down with a relationship or a man wanting her attention when she wanted to be painting.
“Then I’m sure I will meet him eventually.” Presley was not taking the bait. Ever since she returned a few months ago, the town had been trying to set her up with the few remaining single men she wasn’t related to. And seeing how the town wasn’t very big, that consisted of about three men.
Justin, the recent high school graduate who bagged groceries at the general store and hadn’t decided what he wanted to do with his life yet; Ned, the odd mail carrier who was single for very good reason – the man once tried to establish a chicken petting farm for the elderly; and of course, the seventy-year-old preacher. Most of the other people Brandon and Presley had gone to school with either moved away like they had or stayed but got married. Star Lake was a great town for families, but it was not a hopping singles spot.
“You’re hopeless,” Trudy said, but she helped Presley turn the chairs over on the tabletops, so she could sweep the floor. “You need to get back out there.”
“What do you want me to do?” Presley grabbed the broom from behind the counter. “Camp on a rooftop with a pair of binoculars scanning for this hottie? It’s a small town. If he does exist” – she emphasized the word does, drawing it out to two syllables to make her skepticism unmistakable – “then he’ll come in here sooner or later.”
Trudy stuck her tongue out but dropped the subject and continued turning over chairs.
Though Presley was not looking for a relationship after the disaster with Pierre, she couldn’t help thinking that a man wouldn’t be a terrible thing to have around. The limited dating pool was the one thing she didn’t like about this small town.
After the floor was swept, Trudy ducked out – citing the need to finish her masterpiece, but really it was because she didn’t like menial work. Presley didn’t mind though. She took the remaining pastries out of the display case and wrapped them up. They would only keep for another day, but she was hopeful they would sell tomorrow. Business hadn’t been booming since she started, more like a steady trickle, but it had been good enough to keep the lights on so far. However, if something didn’t change soon, she might have to close the doors, and she had no idea what she would do then.
Sparing one final glance to make sure the place was tidy, she donned her coat and hat. The December air had chilled considerably the last few days, and by the time she left at night, it was almost always near freezing. The first snow ought to be right around the corner. Shoving her hands in her pocket, she began the walk home.
Her breath created tiny wisps of smoke as she exhaled, and the tip of her nose grew cold. Presley was glad she didn’t live far from the shop. She glanced down Cooper street as she passed and could just make out Brandon’s parent’s house.
She didn’t know why she bothered to look when she knew he wasn’t there, but it was a gesture she couldn’t seem to stop. Maybe it was from so many times of looking down the street when they were younger. The few times the two had snuck out, they would meet on the street corner before driving to nearby Mesa for a party. And every time after leaving his house, Presley would stop and turn back, hoping to find him running after her to sweep her up in a kiss.
She’d heard his father was still in the hospital after his fall, and she wondered if Anna would come back to see him. She knew Brandon wouldn’t, as the last she’d heard, he hadn’t been home since moving away. Probably too busy with his business and his family.
Unbidden, thoughts of Brandon filled her head, and Presley wondered about his child. Was it a boy who looked like him or a girl with the beauty of Morgan? The child would be about five now, possibly even in Kindergarten. Presley pictured Brandon sitting with the child at a table and doing homework. In her mind, it was always a girl with Morgan’s eyes who would hold a piece of Brandon’s heart that no other woman would ever touch.
Shaking her head to clear the traitorous thoughts, she continued walking. Though she hadn’t spoken with his mother recently, Presley decided to bake the family something special to let them know she was thinking about them. After all, for years they had been a second family to her.
Half a block later, she reached her apartment. It was a mother-in-law suite attached to her mother’s house but with its own entrance. Presley liked to call it her own apartment, and her mother worked so much that she rarely saw her anyway. Entering, she tossed her coat on the rack before calling for her cat, Niko.
Niko was the perfect man – considerate, always happy to see her, and shared her bed without taking it over. If only he were a man and not a cat. He climbed up on her lap as she sat on the couch and flicked on the TV. The images flashed in front of her eyes, but Presley’s mind was on the hottie. Whether he lived up to his title or not, she was curious as to who he was and why he was here.
The big tourist season was usually in the summer, when rich families from the city decided to test out rustic life for a few weeks. A small handful came in the winter though because the town typically got at least one good snowfall. Maybe the hottie was a food critic who’d heard about her shop and come to taste the wares. Smiling at the thought, she allowed herself to be sucked into the dream.
Chapter 3
“So, it’s true. The prodigal son has returned.”
Dropping his fork, Brandon turned to his sister, who was staring at him, a bag still slung over her shoulder. She must have just gotten in. Her blonde hair, so unlike his darker shade, skimmed her thin shoulders. All their lives people wondered how they were related as she had inherited their mother’s pale skin and blonde hair while Brandon got their father’s darker Italian skin and hair.
“Hey, Anna.” H
e crossed to her and enveloped her in a hug. She was taller and thinner than he remembered, and a flicker of regret at the years he had been away rose inside him. When the family first moved to Star Lake, the two of them had joined forces in trying to convince their parents to move back. It was only after meeting Presley that he and Anna started to grow apart.
“How long are you staying?” She dropped her bag and grabbed a plate from the cupboard, joining him at the table. Her fork stabbed three pancakes, and she doused them in Maple syrup before taking a giant bite. She was either not eating at college or had taken up a grueling exercise regimen to be able to eat like that and stay thin.
“Until Dad is better, but I’m in the middle of a huge presentation deal right now, so I’ll have to get back soon.”
“Look who I found.” His mother entered the kitchen with Joy attached to her hand.
“Morning, Bug.” He opened his arms, and Joy ran into them.
“Who are you?” Joy asked when she noticed Anna.
“This is my sister Anna. She’s your aunt.” Due to school, Anna had only come with their parents once, so Joy hadn’t seen her as often.
“Aunt Anna?” Her nose wrinkled, and she shook her head. “That doesn’t sound right. I’ll just call you Auntie Anne, like the pretzels. Can we have a pretzel Daddy?”
“Not right now.” He deposited her into her own chair. “Right now, it’s breakfast time, and your grandmother made pancakes, but maybe we can go into town later and check out the new bakery.”
“The bakery or the baker?” Anna asked between bites of pancake, a teasing glint in her eye.
Brandon shot her a warning glare while placing a few pancakes on Joy’s plate, but he wondered at the question himself. He hadn’t seen or spoken with Presley in over five years, so why was he so curious about her now?
After breakfast, the four loaded into the car and drove the few miles to the hospital. It sat just outside of town, and unlike Star Lake itself, the hospital was state of the art. Most of the surrounding towns were more up to date, but it was like Star Lake had gotten stuck in a time warp or something.
Brandon’s mother always said it was because the leaders of Star Lake enjoyed the slower pace of life in a small town, but it baffled him how anyone could enjoy the town. Maybe he was disillusioned because he had once thought of settling down in this town. Until Morgan left.
His throat began to close as they pulled into the parking lot. He hadn’t been in this hospital since Joy was born, and while that was a happy event, it related to Morgan leaving, which was not. Brandon was thankful Anna and his mother were along as well.
“How about I show Joy the toys?” The look on his mother’s face told him his father was evidently still bruised up. He mentally prepared himself for what he would see but was still shocked when they entered the room. His father’s left eye was swollen shut and colored a bright purple. A monitor was hooked to his finger, and an IV pumped fluid in his arm. He heard them enter nonetheless and opened his good eye.
“Brandon? Is that you?” His voice was clear, which gave Brandon hope that he was better than he looked. He appeared old and frail beneath the white sheet. Brandon wasn’t sure if it was from his injuries or the hospital bed itself. Either way, another pang of regret surfaced, but he pushed it aside. Even if he lived closer, he couldn’t keep his parents from aging or falling off ladders.
“Hi Dad. Anna’s here too.”
She stepped around Brandon and crossed to the other side of the bed. “Hi Daddy. You look awful.” The words were her defense mechanism. Fear was evident in her eyes as she grabbed his hand and held it tight.
A labored laugh escaped his mouth before he grimaced in pain and grabbed his stomach. “Sorry, broken ribs.”
“What were you thinking Dad?”
His one good eye focused on Brandon. “I guess I wasn’t. I thought I was standing on something sturdy until I tumbled off it.”
Anna’s sniffle caught both of their attention.
“Don’t worry, honey, I’m going to be fine.”
She nodded, but a few more silent tears snaked their way down her cheek.
“Joy is here too, and I’ll bring her to see you, but I’ll need to explain your face first.”
“And Morgan?”
His father had never given up hope that he and Morgan would get back together. Though he wasn’t a fan of hers in the beginning, he was a strong believer that a home consisted of two parents.
“Morgan’s not coming back, Dad. She’s moved on to bigger things.”
In truth, Brandon had no idea what Morgan was doing. He hadn’t heard from her since the day she walked out. She sent no cards, no gifts, nothing. It was like she’d erased them from her memory completely.
“I’ll keep praying,” he said.
Brandon was about to tell him he could keep his prayers for himself when a nurse entered and stated she needed their father for more tests. Brandon and Anna leaned down to give him a hug and then watched as he was wheeled out of the room.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Anna wiped the last tear from her cheek. She had always been the more emotional of the two of them.
Brandon wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, he looked strong though bruised, and his speech sounded okay to me.” His mother had told him the night before they were keeping his father for observation because his brain bleed wouldn’t stop. They were hopeful it would clear up on its own after a few days because the other option involved drilling a hole in his skull.
After stopping at the nurse’s station for directions, they continued down the hall to find their mother and Joy. Neither spoke, and Brandon was certain they were both entertaining the thought of what they would do if their father didn’t come home. It was a sobering thought, and not one he wanted to dwell on very long.
The playroom wasn’t very big, but it had a small play structure, a few old computers, and a table with puzzles, which was where Joy was parked. Brandon smiled, watching her. The girl had loved puzzles since she was three. Often, he would realize how silent the house was and go searching for her only to find her at a table in her room turning pieces and sticking them in formation. At almost six, she was now working five hundred-piece puzzles.
“That was short,” his mother said when she saw them.
“They took him for more tests. How was Joy?”
She smiled and pointed. “She’s been there since we got here.”
“Hey, Bug, you want to go get that pretzel now?”
Her head popped up, but there was indecision in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, her telltale sign of concentration as she tried to decide between the puzzle and a pretzel. Food won in the end, and she placed the piece in her hand back on the table. That was a trait she got from Brandon. Morgan hardly ever touched food, but that was probably how she stayed so thin.
He made a mental note to check the general store for a puzzle for her. There wasn’t much to do in this town, and at least that would keep her busy when he needed to work.
They piled back in the car and drove back to Star Lake. Brandon parked in front of Max’s, and they filed out. “It is still okay to park here, right?” Max had always lived above his diner, and though he owned an old, beat-up truck, he had always parked it in the alley.
His mother nodded. “Yes, Max hasn’t changed much, though I hear he’s seeing someone now.”
“Who?” Anna asked. Brandon could have cared less about any town gossip, but Anna ate it up. She had always liked to be in the know. “Oh, please tell me it’s Layla. I’ll just die if it’s anyone else.”
“It is indeed Layla. They finally got together after she almost married Mr. Jones, remember him?”
“Daddy, can we go see if they have pretzels now?” Joy tugged on his pant leg and eagerly pointed to the shop across the street. Brandon was glad for the distraction and the ability to focus on something other than Max’s love life.
After checking both directions for traffic, though there almost neve
r was any, he let her scurry across the street. “I’ll be right behind you. As soon as these two yentas stop yakking.”
Anna punched his arm, but they followed Joy across the street.
“I’ll be right there. I’m just going to check the store for something.”
As Brandon hurried to the general store, he hoped he wouldn’t run into anyone. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the people of this town, but he knew that after being gone for a while, everyone would want to hear his life story, and he just didn’t feel like sharing right now.
Chapter 4
The silver bell above the door announced visitors, and Presley looked up to see a small girl with dark curls enter. Her coat and shoes were the same color of pink, and her shoes lit up as she crossed the floor. Presley was terrible at judging ages, but she guessed the girl to be five or six. She carried an air of confidence for her young age as she sidled up to the dessert case.
“Well, hello there. What can I get for you?” Placing her arms on the top of the counter, Presley smiled down at her.
She scanned the offerings, her index finger tapping against her pink lips, before glancing up at Presley. “Do you have pretzels?”
Presley saw the girl’s mouth move, but the words barely registered as her focus was on the girl’s eyes. Those eyes were blazoned in her memory, the eyes of the woman who stole her love – although she hadn’t known he was her love. Could she be looking into the eyes of his child?
Her questions were confirmed a moment later when his mother, Beverly, and his sister entered her shop. Though Presley had seen Beverly a time or two around town since returning, this was the first time she would have spoken with her or with Anna since she left.
“Hello, Presley.” Beverly’s voice was nice and calm. She hadn’t always been that way, but once she had mellowed out, her calm demeanor had been one of Presley’s favorite things about Brandon’s family. Her own mother was always rushed and hectic, but it was because she had to be, working two jobs to support Presley and her brother, Ryan, after their father left.
When Love Returns Page 2
