She was also kicking herself for not getting a look at Kevin’s vehicle. Was it white? Did it show damage on the front right side?
She couldn’t say. She’d left in such a rush, she’d nearly provoked a full-blown panic attack. Only being back with Gran, where she felt safe, softened the sharper edges of what she was experiencing, helped bring it under control.
“Addy?” her grandmother called when she didn’t respond.
With a final deep breath, she managed to find her voice. “The run was...great. It—it’s a beautiful fall morning.”
“Good. So—” she made her way into the hall “—will you feel well enough to go with me tonight?”
Telling herself to relax, that there’d been no reason to overreact, Addy moved away from the door. “Go where?”
“To the big game!”
Of course. It was Homecoming at the high school.
Addy had seen the announcement on the marquee outside Eureka High this morning when she went running but had thought nothing of it. “Don’t tell me you still go.”
Gran inched closer. “I certainly do. I always sell my baked goods at a booth next to the snack bar and donate the proceeds to the athletic program. You know that.”
Addy put her laptop and other belongings on the closest chair so she could steady Gran when she let go of her walker to sit down. The last thing either one of them needed was for Gran to fall. Addy feared the day something like that happened. She’d heard a broken hip could be the beginning of the end for the elderly and, as much as she wanted to leave Whiskey Creek, she didn’t want it to be because she’d had to say a permanent goodbye to Gran. “You mean...Darlene isn’t doing it for you?”
“Heavens, no! She’s short-staffed at the restaurant. Anyway, I like doing this myself.” She winked. “It’s good advertising for the restaurant.”
The restaurant didn’t need to advertise. Everyone in town knew it was there, and most frequented it. Addy guessed this was about Gran. She’d had to give up working on a daily basis, but she wasn’t about to sacrifice the other things she’d always done for the community.
“You must’ve had help the past few years....”
“I pay some of the young girls from church—they’re, oh, ten or twelve—to carry things in and out and help me wait on customers. I’ve got two sisters whose parents will be bringing them to the game—Misty and Savannah Busath. But I could use you, too, if you’re ready to be out.”
Oh, boy. Addy could bump into just about anybody at the game, including the four men she most wanted to avoid. Kevin was the coach, so he’d definitely be there. At least he’d be on the field, away from her. And she’d face the same possibility when she started at Just Like Mom’s on Monday. She had to get past her fear, make herself comfortable in Whiskey Creek, or she wouldn’t be any good to Gran during the next few months.
That had been her thinking before she’d headed to the track this morning, and that was her thinking now, even after coming face-to-face with Kevin. Seeing him shouldn’t have been as traumatic as it was, she told herself.
“Why haven’t you mentioned the game before?” she asked Gran.
“What with all the excitement, I forgot. And then I didn’t want to make you feel pressured to go out if you weren’t ready. But you’re bouncing back quicker than I thought you would. I certainly never expected you to go running.”
Addy worked out almost every day. That was how she dealt with stress. But Gran wouldn’t understand. Gran was from a different generation, had never been to a gym or a track. “Of course I’ll help. What time do you need to be there?”
“Game starts at six, so we should leave here no later than five. We’ve got to go by the restaurant to get the food. Darlene said she’d have the van loaded.”
“Do we already have a sign or a list of the items we’ll be selling with the prices?”
“Of course. That’ll be in the van, too. I had Darlene add lemon bars this year. They can be messy, but they’re delicious.”
“All your recipes are delicious.”
She smiled but that smile soon faded and a hint of sadness entered her eyes. “Have you heard from your mother since you’ve been here, honey?”
Addy hadn’t heard a word. But she was used to Helen’s long silences. She’d learned years ago not to count on her mother for any emotional support. Helen only called when she got into a fight with her current husband and wanted a place to stay, or needed to borrow money. Under those circumstances, Addy almost preferred no communication. It was less upsetting. “Not yet. But I’m sure she’s fine. She always manages to get by.”
“What did I do to make her turn out the way she did?” Gran asked. “I tried to be a good mother.”
Addy knelt in front of her and took hold of her gnarled hands. “You were a good mother to both of us, Gran. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. But we all have our choices to make.”
Tilting her head to one side, she gazed into Addy’s face. “I can’t believe you’re back. I’m so happy.”
The guilt Addy had carried since she left felt like an anvil on her chest. She should’ve visited before, should’ve returned again and again, instead of making Gran come all the way to Davis. If only Gran knew the emotional turmoil and fear she had to cope with in order to be here. But Addy couldn’t tell her and hoped she would never have to know.
Standing, she gently encouraged Gran to do the same. “Let’s go into the bathroom and curl your hair. You want to look your best for tonight, don’t you?”
“Oh, I’m too old to look very good,” she said with a self-deprecating chuckle, but Addy could tell she was excited by the prospect. She loved having her hair done.
“What are you talking about?” she said. “You’re the most beautiful woman I know.”
12
The game was packed. Friday-night football was a big deal in Whiskey Creek, especially this year. After a decade of losing seasons, they finally had another good team.
Addy had done what she could to conceal her black eye and bruises with makeup, but they still elicited comments from almost every customer. She told herself that would end once the whole town had a chance to express their surprise and dismay, but repeating the details of her abduction, and insisting she didn’t know who was responsible, grew old quickly—mainly because everyone told her that Shania couldn’t provide an alibi for Aaron. Shania wasn’t saying she hadn’t been with him, but she wasn’t committing to any particular hours on any particular night.
Addy wondered if Chief Stacy was going to arrest him. She hoped not. There was no forensic proof.
After the first hour, Gran told her she should take a break and go watch the game for a bit, but Addy wasn’t about to leave the booth. Savannah and Misty Busath were smart girls, plenty capable of handling any business that came their way while she was gone, but circulating would only make her more vulnerable to the curious.
“I’m fine,” she told her. “No problem.”
“I don’t want you on your feet too long,” Gran said. “I just thought it would be fun for you to get out of the house.”
“It is fun.” Addy sent another surreptitious glance through the crowd of people passing by. She was so busy studying every male face that Noelle Arnold was standing right in front of her before she realized who it was.
Of course, she might not have recognized Noelle even if she had been paying more attention to women. She guessed Noelle had had a nose job, at the very least. Somehow, her whole face looked different.
“So you like the necklace?”
Addy’s hand went to the Courage pendant hanging from around her neck. “I do. Thank you. I’ve been meaning to call. But my life’s been crazy the past couple of days, what with—”
“Oh, don’t worry,” she broke in. “You don’t have to explain. I understand what it’s like when you’re dealing with personal problems.” She lowered her voice for emphasis. “Believe me, I’ve been there.”
Everyone blamed her
for her own problems. They blamed her for Kyle’s problems, too. But Addy was trying hard not to judge. Whatever had happened between Kyle, Olivia and Noelle was none of her business. “It was nice of you. Truly.”
She smiled. “Actually, I can’t take all the credit. Derek bought it. I just picked it out.”
Addy’s breath caught in her throat. “Derek?”
“Rodriguez. You remember him, don’t you?”
Addy’s nails cut into her palms. “Not really. We weren’t friends.” And they never would be....
“He says he knows you.” She leaned over the counter as if she had a juicy secret to share. “He’s hoping you’ll go out with him sometime.”
“Why would he want that?”
Noelle blinked at Addy’s deadpan tone. “Because he thinks you’re hot!”
No one had found her particularly attractive in high school. She’d been so shy that she’d hidden behind her hair, her schoolbooks and plain, unremarkable clothing. He couldn’t have been referring to the Adelaide he’d known back then. So when would he have seen her since?
Kevin was the only one she’d run into since coming home.
Unless...
Noelle was still talking. “He asked me to tell you about the calendar we’re doing. I’m on the cover. But he said you could be Miss June, if you want.”
Sudden nausea made Addy long to sit down. “What calendar are you talking about?”
“You know...one of those sexy swimsuit issues.”
“And why would he want me to be Miss June?”
“He said it’d be cool to have you pose in a guy’s baseball jersey—and nothing else,” she whispered with a wink. “He says all the guys who used to play for Eureka High will want one.”
Addy grabbed the support beam to steady herself.
“Noelle, we have customers here,” Gran said. “Can’t you see we’re trying to work?”
The interruption saved Addy from having to come up with a response.
“Sorry.” Noelle passed Addy a card. “Here’s the URL where you can see the calendar so far.”
Addy glanced at it, expecting to see the URL from her attacker’s sweatshirt. It wasn’t there.
Gran frowned at the fact that Noelle had passed her something but she didn’t comment. She was trying to help the man behind Noelle, since Noelle didn’t seem to care that she was holding up the line. Thanks to a sudden flurry of traffic, the Busath girls were also busy.
“Derek’s number’s on the back,” Noelle called as she moved away. “Feel free to contact him. He’s not paying for talent this time around. But...it’s a start. And it’ll give you something for your portfolio, in case you’d like to do some modeling.”
Noelle blended into the crowd milling about the snack bar and Addy, too shaken up to bother with the clasp, yanked on the necklace she was wearing in an effort to get it off as soon as possible.
“I’d like a chocolate chip cookie, please.”
Addy had Derek’s gift in her palm, the chain now broken, before it registered that she had a little boy staring up at her. “What did you say?”
He looked at her as if she had to be crazy to break her own necklace and picked up a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in plastic with a Just Like Mom’s logo on top. “I want one of these.”
Unable to bear the idea of touching anything that had come from Derek, she tossed the Courage necklace in the garbage.
“You don’t want that?” the boy asked.
She didn’t answer. “That’ll be two dollars,” she told him, and accepted his crumpled bills.
She was glad when he was gone, but there were others behind him. She served several people, moving mechanically while asking herself if Derek was the one who’d broken into her bedroom.
“Hi, Addy!” A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Eve Harmon, whom she’d spoken to earlier at Black Gold Coffee.
“Hi, Eve. What can I get for you?”
Eve seemed slightly disappointed that Addy was all business. Addy had been so eager to become friends when they were teenagers that Eve probably wondered why she was so distant now. But Addy wasn’t about to form any more ties to this place, especially with someone so tightly connected to Noah.
“I’ll have a couple of lemon bars, three cookies and a popcorn ball.” She glanced wistfully at the long line curving around the snack bar. “Ted wanted me to get a hot dog, too, but...it’s almost half time and I don’t want to miss the show.”
“They have quite a celebration planned,” Gran said. The crowd, which ebbed and flowed, had dwindled enough that Savannah and Misty could handle the line.
“What are they doing this year?” Addy asked.
Eve paid Gran for the treats she’d ordered. “You didn’t see the paper?”
“Not the last one. I was too busy moving.”
“It’s a special tribute to the team that took state fifteen years ago. Coach Nobis is leaving for Arizona. They want to recognize him before he goes.” Her voice softened. “And they’re retiring Cody Rackham’s number. That’s why I came.”
“Is Mayor Rackham here, too?” Addy asked, but not because she wanted to see Noah’s father. She’d been dreading the moment she’d have to face him and his wife almost as much as the moment when she might be confronted by Kevin, Derek or her other rapists.
“He’ll be saying a few words. So will Noah.”
“I must’ve read the paper too quickly,” Gran said. “I didn’t know he’d be speaking.”
“Cody and Noah completed more passes than any other quarterback/receiver duo in the history of the school,” Eve explained.
“They could play almost any sport,” Addy said, remembering.
Gran gave her a nudge. “You were here when that team did so well. Why don’t you go sit with Eve so you can watch the show?”
Addy shook her head. She remembered the excitement the entire student body had felt when their football team won so many games. There were other good players, but Cody and Noah, the twins, were the highlight of the team. They’d been standouts on the baseball diamond, as well. “There’ll be more people wanting to buy from us during half than at any other time. You need me here.”
“Our mother’s already planning to help,” Misty volunteered.
“She’s got my aunt with her. So they’ll both be here,” Savannah chipped in.
“See?” Gran pushed her toward the exit. “We’ll be fine. Go get reacquainted with your old friends, take a rest. I don’t want you to overdo it, anyway, not after the past week.”
“I’m fine,” Addy argued, but Gran insisted and the next thing she knew she was walking to the stands with Eve.
* * *
“Those bruises are looking better,” Ted said as he slid over to make room for her.
Addy smiled. Of all Noah’s friends, she knew Ted the least. He hadn’t played sports. He’d been president of the student body, captain of the debate team and was voted most likely to become a politician. That she didn’t know him actually made it more comfortable to be around him because, to her, he felt neutral. “They’ll go away eventually.”
He shifted his attention to Eve, who was handing out the baked goods. “Where’s my dinner?” he asked.
Riley didn’t seem happy, either. “Oh, man! You didn’t bring any dogs?”
“I didn’t want to miss half time,” Eve said. “Have Jacob go get some.”
“He’s messing around with his friends.” Riley stood and peered over the crowd, searching for his son. “I can’t get him to answer his phone. I doubt he can even hear it.”
“There’s still three minutes, and three minutes in a football game can last ten,” Ted said. “You wouldn’t have missed half.”
“Feel free to risk it, if you want,” she told him. “But seeing them retire Cody’s number is the whole reason I came. I’m not going to be standing in line for junk food when that happens.”
Cheyenne and Dylan Amos were sitting in front of them. Cheyenne twisted around to
say hello, and Dylan gave Addy a nod. Neither she nor he mentioned that they’d seen each other at the police station last night. Aaron wasn’t with them. But Baxter was. Addy got the impression that almost everyone was eager for the ceremony, except Baxter. He was too nervous.
“Noah doesn’t like this sort of thing, doesn’t like talking about Cody,” he confided to Eve.
She placed a reassuring hand on his leg. “He’ll get through it, Bax.”
“He doesn’t like it,” he said again.
Addy watched him fidget, wondering about the intensity of his empathy. But then the clock ran down and she let it go. She didn’t want to be a spectator at this ceremony any more than Noah wanted to be part of it. And yet, once the Homecoming winners had been announced, and the cheerleaders, dance team and band had performed, she couldn’t look away. Mayor Rackham had stepped up to the podium, every bit as handsome and poised as she anticipated Noah would look in his fifties. His wife stood behind him, forever the supportive spouse, as he awarded a plaque to Coach Nobis, who waved proudly to the crowd.
From there the principal took over and announced that he wanted to honor a very special young man who had made a world of difference at Eureka High. He talked about Cody’s many athletic accomplishments, how he’d lettered in two different varsity sports and set a new weightlifting record. He said Cody was a gifted leader and a popular student and closed by saying he’d never met a boy with more promise. Then he held up Cody’s football jersey, now framed, and indicated that it would hang on the wall at the school from here on. He said Cody’s number would never be used again, that he’d never be forgotten, and he gave a plaque signifying the retirement of his number to Mayor Rackham, who choked up when he accepted it.
That was hard to watch. But it got even harder when the mayor stepped aside so Noah could speak.
“Oh, my God, here he goes,” Baxter whispered.
Eve took Baxter’s hand. “He’ll be fine. Calm down.”
Brenda Novak Page 13
