by Jessica Loft
“The police won’t be able to do anything to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the officers are in his pocket already.”
“T-there is one other thing…” Meredith said carefully. Pulling out her phone she revealed an email thread between her and Lorraine with Alexander cc’d. According to the emails, Lorraine and Alexander’s offer had been a standing one, for Meredith at least. A couple messages invited her to meet up with them again with more from Meredith requesting to be left alone. Meredith had actually accused them of using drugs on her to which Lorraine’s reply had been a flippant dismissal which confirmed the truth.
“Oh my, God,” said Katherine reading the emails.
“The mother load,” Aaron said reading over her shoulder.
“Special K, Maker’s Mark, what’s the difference?” read one of Lorraine’s emails. Meredith looked drained watching them reading through the mail. Katherine felt for her, she had gotten away while Meredith hadn’t. She was obviously distressed and reliving the night was clearly hard for her. Feeling strongly about Aaron’s same resolve to publicly reveal them, Katherine brought her mind back to solving the problem, and addressed Meredith.
“Meredith, can we use these? They are perfect. They have times, details and admission of guilt. We won’t reveal your name if you don’t want us to.”
“I thought you weren’t going to the police.”
“We aren’t,” said Aaron,
“I have a better idea.”
Aaron’s idea involved sending the testimonies, email transcripts, and screenshots to Akroyd Cummings. The police wouldn’t be able to get Lorraine and Alexander but a reporter sure would. Whether it was a smear piece in a tabloid or a report in the paper; that level of accusation made against that kind of person was going to gain enough attention to do some serious damage. As a new couple, Katherine considered their little investigation one of the best bonding experiences they could have had under the worst circumstances.
They decided to take time off and fly to Hawaii the morning after sending Akroyd the email with all the information. It didn’t take Lorraine and Alexander long to figure out that it was Katherine who had played a part in exposing their racket. She was sure there wouldn’t be a job for her at Hendrickson’s when they got back but she didn’t care. She hadn’t realized all the baggage she was carrying from that weekend and was glad to finally put it all behind her. Making love to Aaron on a private beach, she realized, she was glad one thing had come out of it.
Now Enjoy The Next Story Below Or Choose One From The Table of Contents
The Pastor’s Daughter
Chapter One
The roar of a motorcycle had her heaving a sigh of relief. It meant that Jackson was no longer in the vicinity and the danger of her parents catching sight of him with her had passed. Sally couldn’t put a finger on just what it was about the handsome man that her parents didn’t like, because she found him completely intriguing. The fact that he had no regard or concern about what people think of him made him all the more alluring to her.
Life was a long slow drawl Sally who had just finished high school and was slowly getting used to the idea of independence. With little else to do now but sit around the house while waiting to go to college, life was pretty boring for her. Being the only girl of a Catholic minister meant that she had to be on her best behavior at all times. For some reason, her two brothers got off lightly and were allowed a lot more freedom.
One lesson her parents had always instilled in her was that she should not involve herself with what they regarded as contentious characters. Knowing what they would have to say if they caught sight of her wild looking friend on the motorbike, she smiled quietly to herself, and relaxed into the couch. Now that he was gone she had time on her hands to slip into memories of the past.
Growing up, Sally had had a great relationship with her parents. The strict Christian upbringing had her well aware of her boundaries, something she had no trouble respecting until now. It was easy for her to do what was required when she depended entirely on her family. She no longer saw the need to answer to them about every little thing, and that included her choice of friends.
She met Jackson a few months before completing high school. Their meeting was coincidental, as it happened, while she was out for lunch with her friends one Saturday afternoon. The hip guy with an attitude had not appealed to her, at all. She had considered him too loud the moment she saw him walk into the restaurant with his friends. Her friends had even commented about them to each other.
“Now there’s a rough looking bunch!”
“Yeah, those guys look like they could be trouble.”
“Not anybody I’d want to cross paths with.
They all nodded in agreement, wondering how anyone could behave the rowdy way they were acting.
The next time she saw him was while she was out walking her dog, Max. With her headphones on she hadn’t heard the roaring motorcycle approach her. She only decided to look up when Max started barking. Wondering what her dog was reacting to, she took off her earphones and looked up, right into the eyes of a familiar face. He didn’t waste time either, immediately calling out to her.
“Well, well, so our paths cross again. I remember you from somewhere, care to tell me your name?”
Staring into the cool blue eyes for the first time, something clicked in her. It hit her that instead of feeling repelled by him, like she should, she felt drawn to him. Suddenly realizing she was openly staring, she quickly tried to come up with a smart response.
“Uh-um. What was that again? Sorry, I didn’t hear you clearly,” was her attempted lie. He smiled and climbed off his bike. He held out a hand to her. She had to pull her eyes away from his face, mesmerized by the way his eyes lit up when he smiled to meet his hand in a full shake.
“Perhaps I should do this the right way. Hello, my name is Jackson and I was wondering if you would care to tell me yours.” He said shaking her hand heartily, and trying to sound polite but making a complete fool of himself. It made her laugh out loud, the nerves sliding away. Thinking he didn’t seem like such a bad guy after all, she shook it back.
“My name is Sally,” she told him simply, blushing from his stare.
That marked the start of a long conversation between them, and by the end of an hour; the two had become good friends. She came to learn that he lived in the neighboring Amish settlement. Having grown up in Ohio she had heard about these people who lived a very conservative life. She knew they mainly kept to themselves, and lived a controlled lifestyle. She became a bit suspicious because his ways didn’t seem to fit how she thought of the Amish. But she quickly relaxed when she learned this was because he was on Rumspringa, a period when young boys and girls of Amish culture can enjoy some freedoms from the Amish’s strict ways. They could experiment with the outside world before baptism, when they chose to either live the Amish life or leave forever.
Jackson seemed to be making good use of it; Sally could hear him cruising around on his bike at all hours of the day. They lived in a small community outside of the city, so any gossip made it through the town very quickly. Sometimes she’d be told stories about the crazy boy and his wild friends, partying through the town high on alcohol.
Their friendship grew even more after she finished high school, and by that time Jackson was her entire source of fun. Already, most of her family and friends were involved in some program or another, leaving her unoccupied. At least she had Jackson to turn to for company. He proved quite useful when her friends were not around, as he was always willing to come by for a chat. They frequently discussed the decision he would have to eventually make. By the end of June they had spent many hot, humid days, enjoying each other’s’ company, that was, until her mother saw him.
Two weeks into summer vacation, they were together on the corner of the street by Joe’s Market when Sally caught sight of her mother driving up. She knew her mother wouldn’t be happy in her choice of a companion, but she was surpris
ed that instead of stopping and saying hi, she drove right by. Later that evening when Sally arrived home, her mother let her opinion be known.
“Who was the young man I saw you with, on the corner? Mother asked condescendingly. He didn’t seem like the kind of boy I would expect to see you associating with.”
Not surprised by her mother’s close minded view on anyone different, Sally did her best to try and explain. “His name is Jackson, and he is kind and thoughtful. We enjoy talking to each other.”
That fell on deaf ears, however, as her mother had already formed an opinion about him. Sally knew it was going to be nearly impossible to convince her otherwise, but her father would be even more challenging.
Chapter Two
As the days went by, Sally tried to obey her mother’s orders not to see Jackson. But she became even more desperate for company. Both parents left each day to go to work leaving her alone at home. Her older brothers were both away at college in other states, so she was left to entertain herself in her big empty house. Large by any standard, it was located on a street filled with homes of similar size and style. Her father had bought the house while she was young and most of her child memories were from company attending events at their home.
It wasn’t enough for her to just hang around the house doing nothing while everyone else was busy away from home. She had mentioned to her parents before summer started that she needed to get out and do something, knitting class, archery, anything. But they were adamant that she should just wait until she went to college. With no desire to create friction with her parents, she had agreed and attempted to find ways to keep herself busy inside her house.
Of all the options she could think of, Jackson kept coming into her mind. Her new found friend was always available to spend time with her, unlike everyone else. She decided to meet him secretly without her parents knowing. Gradually, they fell into the habit of Jackson spending a good share of the day with Sally at her home. It was something she knew could cause trouble, but left with limited choices, she took the chance.
Monday morning found Sally alone as usual after an eventful weekend spent with visiting friends at her house with her parents. She had just begun to feel bored when she heard the familiar roar of a motorcycle. Anxiously peeking through the curtains, she was just in time to see Jackson riding up her driveway. He looked stunning in the leather riding suit, complete with a helmet. There was no denying the thrill that went through her, watching him roar up and park outside her garage. Making her way to the front, she went out to meet him, with a big smile on her face.
“Hi, it’s so great to see you today! How is my favorite girl?” he asked, rewarding her with a giant hug.
“I’m good! Quiet and bored around here as usual, but everything is fine,” she said, inviting him in for coffee. Instead of following her inside, like usual, he hesitated.
“I better not,” he told her putting his head down.
She had mentioned to him last week that her parents didn’t like him because he was unusual. The thought had sat with Jackson during the weekend, and he had decided to tell Sally they should stop seeing each other completely. But her greeting when he pulled up made him decide otherwise. Maybe they could stay friends but just not in her parent’s house alone. He didn’t want to cross boundaries and knew they’d been borrowing trouble every time he came. So instead, he made her a proposition.
“Tell you what! My friends have organized a party and I would like you to come. There’s nothing to it really. It’s just some friends. And it’s this coming Saturday afternoon, so you can get a chance to attend.” Then with eyes pleading he waited for her answer. Sally had little time to think it over, but caught the woeful look in his eyes. Right away she knew it was what she wanted, too.
“Of course I’ll come! I would like to meet your friends. If I can come up with a good enough excuse, that is.”
Jackson started to laugh, then stopped when he noticed she was serious. It hadn’t occurred to him that it might be difficult for her to take an afternoon to be with friends. He thought only Amish families were so restrictive. He thought of his Maemm and Daed, and wondered what they would think of him dating an Englischer.
“You are not joking, are you? Do you really mean that your parents will find it hard to let you off on your own even for an afternoon? Maybe you need to be on Rumspringa as well!” She laughed nervously, well aware it was the truth, but embarrassed to have him find out. She would be damned if she admitted that even at her age, her activities still required parental permission.
“It’s no problem.” She shrugged, and smiled at him. “I’m certain I’ll find an excuse to come over. You can be sure of that.” The two chatted for a few more minutes before he got on his bike and left. It seemed she’d only been back in the house a few minutes when she heard a car coming up the driveway, and realized her parents were already home.
“That was close,” she muttered under her breath. There would have been hell to pay had she been caught in the company of this unforbidden guy. It wasn’t fair that they were against him because he was Amish. And the rest were only rumors…Amish Mafia, really? She would definitely keep the fact that she was going out with him that coming Saturday a secret, but only because they would be unreasonable and interfere if she didn’t. She’d need to think up a good excuse to use in order to convince them to let her go. It was looking like the only way she would be able to get out of the house was going to be to lie.
Knowing her mother, Sally knew it would go better if she informed her first and well in advance so she could convince her father. She decided not to wait and just lightly bring it up in the discussion that night as they were preparing dinner.
“There’s something I have been meaning to talk to you about, Mom. A few friends and I plan to go out for an afternoon of fun this coming Saturday. I assumed you would be fine with it, so I said yes, but I wanted to mention it to you.”
Her mother just stared at her with a frown in her brow. The answer took a while in coming, and for a moment she thought there was going to be trouble. Then her mother surprised her.
“I guess it would be fine for you to go. Your dad and I will be attending a couples’ workshop that day and I see no reason to hold you back. Be careful though.” Sally hid her smile as she thanked her and went on with her chores, quietly celebrating the news. She knew if her mother agreed to it, it would only be matter of coaxing from her mother before her father also agreed.
By the time Friday came Sally was anxious and ready to go. She had excitedly informed Jackson about the lucky break and he told her he would pick her up a few streets away on his bike. She only managed to catch a few winks of sleep that night, as she sat up thinking things over. It was bound to be fun, yet in the back of her mind was the fear of being out of her element. What if his friends didn’t like her? What if they were doing drugs? What if her parents found out where she really was? They would throw a fit if they knew the ‘friends’ she was going out with was really Jackson, and that she had deliberately deceived them.
Chapter Three
“Sally dear, you best get out of bed before we leave. Breakfast is already on the table.” The sound of her mother calling woke her and she threw back the covers, quickly jumping out of bed. The room was filled with light, meaning she had overslept way into the morning. As she made her way to the bathroom, she rubbed her eyes, knowing the real reason she slept so long was because she was so anxious for today.
“Coming, Mother. I’ll only be a moment,” she called. Five minutes later she sat in the kitchen, sipping coffee and making small talk with her parents, pretending like it was just any other day. They left soon after, leaving her to prepare for the afternoon ahead of her. She smiled to herself as she walked up her winding stairway. It couldn’t have worked out better if she’d planned it herself. She immediately went into to her room to get ready.
The blue flowered dress would work well for her, she thought laying it out on the bed, worn with a matching pa
ir of shoes. It took a while for her to get ready, applying eyeshadow, mascara, and blush. It was a bit of an art experiment she admitted since she didn’t do that often, or not at all to this degree. Standing before the mirror, she was surprised at the image that stared back at her. Her hair was pulled up loosely in a bun and her face looked flushed, making her appear more mature. She had done a good job with her makeup; it was not too showy for her liking. She slid her legs into her dress and pulled it up to her shoulders. She turned to look back at the mirror the blue color went well with her skin, especially with her newly pouty lips. She might have continued standing there admiring her reflection, all afternoon if she wasn’t interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Rushing to answer the call, she placed the receiver delicately at her ear careful not to mess up her makeup in the process.
“Hello,” she said, speaking calmly into the phone. Her heart sped up when she heard the voice answer back.
“How’s are you, honey? Are you just about ready to have me come pick you up?” Jackson asked.
