House Divided

by Peel, Jennifer

  “I can’t believe you still do that,” Brady commented.

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s disgusting and not very proper for a fine southern lady.”

  “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

  How many times had I said that to him? I had tried so many times to get him to try it, but never succeeded. I would even bribe him with kisses, but he would always steal a kiss and say, “Ellie, you know you want to kiss me anyway.” And he was right, I always did. I’ll admit I still did, but it was best not think about that.

  He arched his eyebrow sexily. “If I do, will you agree to the original terms?” I guess he remembered too.

  He really was too much. I just shook my head no.

  He laughed. “It was worth a shot.”

  Caroline began to yawn; she’d had a long day and had been a trooper. Brady paid for us and then scooped her up as we left for home. On our way out, Mrs. Kellen came out and apologized for earlier.

  “Don’t worry about it,” we replied in unison.

  She just smiled at the two of us and waved her finger. “I still have hopes for the two of you.”

  I wanted to say, “Don’t get your hopes up,” but instead we quickly said goodnight and made our exit. All I knew was tomorrow I was getting Aunt Lu to agree to her procedure, and then I was getting the heck out of there.

  Brady drove me home first; Caroline had already fallen asleep. He helped me carry in my obscene amount of bags. I thanked him kindly for his help and saw him to the door. I noticed a familiar look in his face, it was the same determined look he gave me the night of homecoming when he had announced to the world that we were together. I was in trouble again. I tried to shut the door quickly, but he pushed against it.

  “Ellie, please.”

  “Please what?”

  Without warning, he pulled me close and ran his fingers through my hair. “Ellie, please give us another chance.”

  I pulled away. “I won’t break the rules again, Brady.”

  “Dang it, girl! Hang the rules.”

  “Brady, I broke the rules once and broke my aunt’s heart, and then you left me for Amber.”

  “Ellie, I thought my daddy was dying. What did you want me to do?”

  “I wanted you to at least wait a few days before you fell into Amber Capshaw’s arms! Did you break up with me and drive straight over there?”

  “What about Nathan Nichols?” he fired back.

  “Who the heck is Nathan Nichols?” I said confused.

  “The guy you met in Huntsville at your debate team tournament. You know, the guy you were seeing behind my back?”

  I shook my head. “Brady Jackson, who told you that?”

  He started to answer, but I cut him off. I couldn’t believe he would throw such accusations my way. “Better yet, how could you believe that about me? I’ve never even heard of a Nathan Nichols. You obviously didn’t know me at all. And you sure as heck didn’t love me the way I loved you!” I slammed the door in his stunned face.

  Chapter Six

  As soon as I heard him drive off, I grabbed my car keys. I was driving straight to the hospital. I didn’t care that it was late. Aunt Lu was having her procedure and I was going back to Atlanta. I was going back to being Elle and to where nobody cared that my last name was Eaton. And most importantly, I was getting away from Brady Jackson.

  As I walked outside, I realized my car was at the dang bank. Darn that Brady Jackson! I went back into the house, got some comfortable shoes on, and threw on one of my old jackets. The bank was a couple of miles from my house. I would just walk there and get it. I needed to cool off anyway, and I didn’t have anyone to call in this town except Doris, and I didn’t want to bother her. I had cut off all ties to everyone here except my Aunt Lu. In hindsight, maybe that wasn’t the best way to go.

  The more I walked, the more ticked I got. How could he accuse me of cheating on him? I could guess who told him I was, but how could he believe her? I knew I shouldn’t care, we were talking about high school. It was a long time ago, but my aunt was right, I’d never gotten over him. I could still feel the pain of watching him walk in the halls, hand-in-hand, with Amber Capshaw and pretending like I never existed.

  But I did get my revenge. Well, sort of. That last semester was difficult, and the Eaton- Jackson feud hit an all-time high. I would have graduated early if I hadn’t worked so hard to be the valedictorian. When prom came and I was nominated for prom queen, along with Amber and another girl from the Jackson side, I decided not to rescind my nomination. I knew everyone was waiting for me to, even Aunt Lu. Every day she reminded me of rule two. I didn’t tell her my plan, but I promised her I wouldn’t be bringing home a crown.

  Aunt Lu took me to Atlanta, and we bought the most beautiful dress money could buy. It was a cream, floor length gown with an empire waist and gold beading on the bodice. It was a dress fit for a queen. I went without a date, but I wasn’t planning on staying anyway. Halfway through the dance, Principal Jerger got up to announce the court and who had been elected the king and queen. It was no surprise when Brady’s name was called for prom king. And to be honest, I wasn’t surprised when my name was called either, I knew the odds were in my favor. The two girls from the Jackson side had to split the votes from their side.

  Everyone else was shocked. There was a gasp when everyone realized what had happened, but it was Amber’s and Brady’s reaction I was most interested in. Amber looked like she had just been slapped. Brady’s look confused me. It was the first time he had really looked at me in months, and he looked almost happy. He even half-smiled at me. I icily glared at him when I walked up to the principal and told her I couldn’t accept the crown. I then walked off the stage and out the gym doors with my head held high. Amber, by default, was made the queen, but she would always know she had lost to me.

  I went straight home that night and cuddled up with Aunt Lu and cried and cried. Aunt Lu told me it wasn’t a very Christian thing to do, but I didn’t know if she’d ever been prouder of me. My little coup was talked about for the rest of the year. Grace and Andi told me after I left that it looked like Brady was going to come after me, but Amber grabbed hold of him. I guess they skipped the queen and king dance in all the confusion. Admittedly, that gave me great delight. I knew it was nothing to be proud of, but I wanted to show the Jacksons that they hadn’t beat me and that I was worthy of a crown, but didn’t need one.

  A few weeks later I was made valedictorian, and a week after that, I left Kaysville to start the summer term at Auburn. At first I kept in contact with my friends, but too many conversations centered on Brady and what he was doing. I don’t know why they thought I wanted to know. It just made my heart ache. Brady was more than just a high school crush. I really did love him, and I’d never been able to get over that.

  I made good time to my car. I didn’t know if I had cooled off any, though. I was still upset that Brady had thought, all these years, I had somehow been unfaithful to him. And now, after all this time, he wanted to try again, after years of having to hear about him and Amber and watch them on T.V. together. I didn’t care how much he said things had changed, I knew his momma and daddy would never welcome me with open arms, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they would do whatever they could to make sure we would never be together. Not to mention I couldn’t break Aunt Lu’s heart again. I didn’t care how much I loved Brady Jackson.

  By the time I got to my car, I realized it really was too late to visit my aunt, but I would be heading there first thing in the morning, before church, and honestly, the way I felt tonight, I may just skip church. I didn’t want to see Brady or his family or anyone from this town. Ok, I would like to see Caroline, but that was it. That reminded me, I needed to put a call into my office and have them ship me some books and dolls.

  Just as I got home, my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was a local number. That was odd, but I answered it.

  “Hello.”

&nbs
p; “Ellie, its Brady.”

  The fool didn’t need to tell me who it was. I knew his voice better than my own. “How did you get my number?”

  “It was on the paperwork you signed.”

  “So is this bank business?”

  “Well, no.”

  “Isn’t it illegal for you to use my information for personal reasons?”

  “Oh, come on, Ellie. Why do you have to be like that? I just realized I left you at home without your car.”

  “It’s fine. I walked over to the bank and got it.”

  “This late at night? By yourself? And in the cold?”

  “Maybe you didn’t notice, but I’m a big girl now, and I can take care of myself.”

  “Believe me, I’ve noticed.”

  “Well, goodbye.”

  “Wait, Ellie.”

  “What, Brady?”

  “Can we please talk?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything else left to say, Brady.”

  “Ok, Ellie, but if you think I’m going to let you walk out of my life again without a fight, then you have another thing coming, so saddle up, Ella Lu Eaton.”

  “Brady!”

  “Goodnight, Ellie.” And just like that he hung up.

  He was on my ever living last nerve tonight. Well, you have another thing coming, Brady Jackson. “And by the way, I didn’t walk out of your life in the first place. You pushed me!” I don’t know why I said that out loud, it wasn’t like he could hear me.

  I stomped up the stairs and took a long, hot bath. As I lay there soaking, I tried not to think of that fool. Who did he think he was, telling me to saddle up? Well, cowboy, you better hold on to your hat because I have no intention of losing this rodeo. I didn’t care how sweet and charming he was, not to mention incredibly gorgeous, I would not be falling for that again. I wasn’t fifteen anymore.

  I tossed and turned a lot during the night, but I woke early. I still hadn’t decided if I would go to church, but I wore the dumb dress Brady found attractive just in case. I didn’t want to upset my aunt by walking in not properly dressed for the Sabbath. Growing up, as more and more people wore casual clothing to church, I was never allowed to. Aunt Lu would always say, “If you can’t dress up for God, then who can you dress up for?” I took extra time on my hair. I curled it and pulled it up in a romantic upsweep. I don’t know why. Maybe part of me wanted to show Brady Jackson what he missed out on, but he’d probably just look at me and think, I’ve had beauty queens. At least I could articulate why I’m proud to be an American.

  I knew these weren’t good thoughts to have as I contemplated going to church. It was probably a good indicator that I should spend more time in church. Brady wasn’t the only one that needed to repent, but at least I wasn’t a liar (ok, unless you counted at the hospital, but that was for a really good cause). I still couldn’t believe Brady would believe those lies about me. Hadn’t he known how much I’d loved him? I don’t think I ever even looked at another boy the whole time we were growing up. Even now, I still had a hard time not comparing the men I dated to him.

  It took me no time at all to drive to the hospital. It was something I missed about my home state. Atlanta traffic was the worst. Even on Sundays there was traffic there.

  Though it was early, my aunt was up, which didn’t surprise me; she was a creature of habit, and getting up early was one of her many habits.

  “Ella Lu. What are you doing here this morning? You’re going to miss church.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I sat down next to her and laid my head in her lap, just like I used to when I was growing up. She immediately began to stroke my hair, but I could tell she was trying not to mess it up, even though I didn’t care if she did.

  I told her all about my day with Brady and Caroline, I even told her about what Brady said about not letting me go again without a fight. I began to cry. I expected her to get upset and go off on that Jackson boy, but she didn’t. She didn’t say anything, which was really unusual for her. I lifted my head to look at her. She looked sad. She reached up and placed her hand on my cheek.

  “Aunt Lu, please have the angioplasty. I love being with you, but I need to get back to Atlanta. It was a mistake for me to ever come back here. Not to mention, I’m worried sick about you. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. You’re the only person that has ever loved me.”

  I was surprised to see her eyes water. Aunt Lu wasn’t one to get emotional. “My sweet girl, I think you’re loved more than you know or want to admit right now.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She ignored my question. I hated when she did that.

  “I have a bargain for you,” she said.

  “Ok?”

  “I’ll schedule my procedure for tomorrow if you agree to stay here through the holiday season.”

  What? What kind of a bargain is that?

  “Why do I feel like everyone is blackmailing me lately? It’s like a conspiracy.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic, Ella Lu.”

  “Why do you want me to stay here?”

  “I have my reasons, Ella Lu.”

  “Care to clue me in?”

  “Not at this time. So, do you agree?”

  I sat all the way up. “You know you’re not playing fair.”

  “There’s nothing fair about life, Ella Lu.”

  “Fine, I agree.”

  She clapped her hands. “Now that that’s settled, it’s time for you to get to church.” She handed me her cosmetic bag. “Hurry and fix your make-up, sugar. You’re going to be late.”

  “I don’t want to go to church.” I sounded like a kid again.

  “Nonsense, sugar. You go and hold your head up high and show them what being an Eaton is all about.”

  I fixed my tear-stained cheeks and eye make-up and reapplied my lipstick. I turned back toward her for her approval.

  “You’re radiant, as always. But remember, you’re more than a beautiful face, Ella Lu.

  Chapter Seven

  I kissed her cheek and said goodbye. “I’ll be back after church to make sure that procedure’s been scheduled.”

  She slyly grinned in return.

  On the drive back to Kaysville, I tried to make sense of Aunt Lu’s request and her behavior. Why did she want me to stay in town and, most importantly, why wasn’t she upset that Brady Jackson was pursuing me again? Maybe she really was losing her mind. I hated to think that way, but clearly she wasn’t thinking right.

  I pulled into the church parking lot. It was packed, as usual. It looked the same way it had nine and half years ago, except the cars in the lot were a different style. I always thought it was such a pretty little church, all white, with a white picket fence around it. I loved it in the spring and summer when all the trees surrounding it were in bloom and flowers lined the perimeter. Once upon a time, I had imagined Brady and me getting married there in the summer. Brady said he wanted to get married right out of high school, but we knew that would only make our parents more upset, so we had planned for right after college. Ugh! I needed to quit thinking about that man. It was bad enough I would be seeing him there and that I had agreed to spend my holiday season in Kaysville.

  I was nervous about walking in. I felt like I was opening a can of worms, coming back to this place. I wished Aunt Lu was at least with me. I kept repeating to myself, I’m an Eaton, I’m a successful author, I only have to endure this for a month, and oh yeah, I have more money than the Queen of England. Not that the last one mattered to me, but hey, I needed every plus I could get.

  Church was just about to start, so I snuck into the back, on the right side of course, but it was like everyone knew I was going to be there. As soon as I walked through the chapel doors, several heads from both sides turned my way. The right side was definitely the friendliest, so I focused on them; that was until I heard my named being called by my favorite five-year-old. I turned to see Miss Caroline wav
ing frantically at me and calling, “Miss Ellie!”

  I smiled and waved back. I saw her momma kindly telling her to hush and sit down, but that’s when I saw the whole Kaysville Jackson clan: Brady, his parents, and of course Benjamin and his family. Brady smiled and winked. Even Benjamin and his wife smiled at me, but Brady’s parents’ looks could have frozen water. Their icy glares were not unexpected, but I was hoping to have avoided them. I remembered my aunt’s empowering words, and I held my head high and smiled. I found a seat in the back pew, sat down and took a deep breath. A few people, including an old Sunday School teacher, smiled kindly at me.

  The pastor quickly came down and introduced himself. “Ms. Eaton, we’ve all heard about your aunt. How is she?”

  I thought about her and smiled to myself. Yes she was sick, but she was as feisty as ever. “She’s doing as well as can be expected. She’s scheduled to have angioplasty tomorrow.” At least she better be. “Her doctor expects her to make a full recovery.”

  He patted my arm. “This is excellent news. Please let us know if we can do anything.” He then excused himself and made his way back to the black walnut pulpit.

  Just as the pastor began, Caroline surprised me by coming over. “My mommy says I can sit with you, if it is ok. I didn’t want you to be by yourself,” she whispered.

  It was unheard of for a Jackson to sit on this side. I looked over to her parents, and they both smiled. I almost started to cry. “Of course you can, sugar.”

  She sidled right up next to me. I put my arm around her and gave her a squeeze. I noticed her grandma didn’t look happy about it, but I didn’t care. Brady kept looking back and smiling at me. He was a fool. I did my best to ignore him. I turned my attention to the pastor. He mentioned my aunt and asked that we all keep her in our prayers. He publically announced she was having surgery tomorrow. I cringed a little. I doubt she wanted that to be public knowledge. The only benefit to it was that I probably wouldn’t need to worry about feeding myself. If I still knew this town, I would have fifteen casseroles delivered to the house by tomorrow.