Deadline

by Judy McDonough

Torn between running and crawling to the cabin, Caroline dreaded the confrontation. Part of her wanted to hurry up and get there to spend as much time with Cade as possible. But the other part wanted to put off telling him goodbye. He was going to be very upset with her for leaving early. She knocked three times. She waited, remembering the last time she stood at his doorstep when the snake slithered up behind her, then Henry slithered up shortly after. She shuddered and knocked again. No answer.

  Just in case he hadn't heard the first two times, she knocked one more time and checked the knob to find it locked. Her eyes welled up with tears. She patted her pockets for a pen to leave a note and came up empty. She didn't know when or if she would ever see him again. With tears streaming down her face, she headed back to the house. Why was she so upset about leaving? She should be excited. She dreaded coming down here, and now she dreaded leaving.

  Maybe once she returned to Chicago surrounded by familiarity, things would fall back into place. Once she was exclusively with Trevor again, perhaps her memories from the bayou would be distant. Only, she didn't really want them to be.

  She stepped from the trail out on to the lawn. Her dad's truck was in the driveway. She drew in a deep breath. "Here's goes nothing. Time to put your big girl panties on, Caroline." She found him at the table reading the paper. "Hey, Dad, can I talk to you for a second?"

  He looked up with a big smile. "Sure, sweetheart. What's on your mind? Did you and Beau have fun in New Orleans this weekend?"

  "Well, yes, we had a great time. I love the city."

  "That's great. I thought you would."

  "Okay, I'm just gonna spit this out. Trevor came in to surprise me, and I'm flying back to Chicago with him tomorrow."

  He didn't hide his disappointment. "Oh, Caroline, is everything okay? Are you not enjoying your time here?"

  "No, it's not that. Trevor misses me, and, well, I miss him, too. So I'm going back early. Also, he—we have decided to go ahead and get married before school starts." He sat expressionless without uttering a word. Caroline nervously shifted her weight. "Say something."

  He held her gaze for a few quiet moments before his focus returned to the newspaper still in his hands. His emotionless reply hurt as he spoke without looking at her. "Congratulations. When's the big day?"

  "August twenty-seventh. It's in Chicago, will you be able to come?"

  He folded the paper and stood placing both hands on her shoulders. "I wouldn't miss the opportunity to walk with you at your wedding and give you away. Of course, I would much rather be giving you away to marry someone from down here. . .say, a handsome young gardener I know who is crazy about you. But I will do my very best to support whatever decision you make."

  Her gaze dropped to her fidgeting hands. "Well, that's good. Because I've already made my decision. I'll see you in Chicago in six weeks then. I'll email you the details and directions when I have them."

  She sprinted up the stairs before she started crying again. He made her sound uncertain and indecisive, but she was engaged to Trevor before ever coming down here. She loved him and keeping her promise to marry him was the right thing to do. In her room, she feverishly packed her things, uselessly fighting back tears when Kristy walked in.

  "Caroline, what's wrong?"

  She wiped her eyes and faced Kristy. "Cade wasn't home. I need you to do me a favor and tell him why I had to leave."

  Kristy held her hands up in protest. "Oh, no you don't! I'm not gonna be the one who breaks his heart. You're gonna have to do that all on your own. Haven't you heard of people killing the messenger? And he seems very capable of doing just that."

  Caroline couldn't stop the flow of tears. "Please, Kristy, I can't just leave without letting him know something. I don't want to leave a cheesy 'Dear John' letter. Can you just relay a message for me, please? Just tell him I had an amazing time this weekend, and I appreciate everything he's done for me. Tell him I care deeply for him, and that's why I'm leaving."

  Kristy stared at her long and hard. "You want me to tell him you left because you love him?"

  Caroline nodded, unable to speak from the sobs racking her body.

  "Caroline, that doesn't make any sense," Kristy yelled.

  "It'll make sense to him. Just tell him, would you?"

  Kristy waited for an explanation. Frustrated, Caroline sputtered, "It's not fair for me to stay here leading him to believe he and I have a chance, while I'm engaged to be married to someone else."

  "As your best friend and maid of honor, it's my duty to tell you that you're being stupid! You don't marry one guy when you're in love with another. Especially when the other is as incredible as Cade."

  "I love two incredible guys who both want to be with me. I have to choose the one I made a promise to. Can you please just tell Cade what I said?"

  "Or you can choose the one you’re more compatible with,” Kristy argued.

  “Promise me!”

  Kristy didn't look away as she answered. “Sure. I promise, I'll take care of it."

  Caroline sighed in relief and, between sobs, thanked her.

  "C. . .if you're so sad, why are you leaving? It's obvious you're not ready to go yet. I'm sure Trevor will understand if you want to stay longer."

  "Trevor will not understand if I want to stay longer. He will assume the only reason I want to stay is so I can be with Cade."

  "Is it? Is that the only reason you would want to stay?"

  "N-no. I would love to spend more time with my dad, Claire, and Remy, too. I love it here, and I'm going to miss this place, that's all. I'm ready to go back and get this over with."

  "Caroline." Kristy's tone dropped. "Marriage isn't something to take so lightly. This is the rest of your life we're talking about here. It's not just something you hurry up and do to get it over with. It's one of the biggest, most important decisions you'll ever make in your entire life. You're still young. There's no reason for you to rush into this. Just wait. Wait until you're sure. Certain about which guy is right for you. Follow your heart and everything will fall into place."

  Caroline hastily threw her things in her suitcase, paying no attention to her sloppy packing job. "I know, and you're exactly right. I am sure everything will work out. I am following my heart. I love Trevor, and I'm going to marry him. It's just going to be a little sooner than I had originally intended, that's all. Things will work out, you'll see. I'll stay with you at your place until the wedding, and I will proudly wear the stunning bridal gown you make especially for me.”

  Kristy shook her head, but Caroline ignored her and continued. “My hair and make-up will be perfect, my close friends and family will be in attendance, and my no-longer-estranged father will walk me down the aisle to give my hand in marriage. I will finally have my happily ever-after, and you will be by my side looking ravishing in your self-designed bridesmaid dress. I'll even let you pick the color."

  Lacking the enthusiasm Caroline hoped for, Kristy responded dryly, "Sounds perfect."

  Trevor walked in the room and acknowledged them both. "Hello, Kristy."

  "Trevor." Kristy gathered her things. "Congratulations. I understand you'll be getting married. Very soon."

  Trevor smiled at her disapproval. "Yes, isn't it wonderful? Caroline has finally overcome her fear of long term commitment and agreed to set a date."

  Kristy smiled cynically. "Yes. Wonderful." She brushed past him. "Take care, Trevor."

  "Well, she's just a ray of sunshine and rainbows today, isn't she?"

  "She's not too happy about my decision to get married so quickly. She wants to make my wedding dress, and now she only has six weeks to design and create a masterpiece."

  "Caroline, we're getting married outside by a lake. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. It's not that big of a deal."

  "It's a big deal to me."

  He pulled her in for a hug and slowly leaned in for a kiss. "So, we're only six weeks away from our wedding night. Are you as excited as I am? I'm getting aroused just think
ing about it."

  Glad he couldn't see her face, she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Trevor? Is that the only thing you can think about right now? Sex?"

  "What?" He shrugged and held palms up. "I'm a guy, of course that's what I'm thinking about. What else am I supposed to think about?"

  "Um, how about committing our complete body and soul to each other, vowing before God to love, honor, and cherish one another for the rest of our lives, together as one. You know, those kinds of sentimental, important things."

  He smirked. "The wedding night kind of counts as us coming together as one."

  "Good grief, Trevor! You're such a horn-dog. Go take another cold shower. I have stuff to do before I can leave." He laughed and tackled her on the bed. His speed and strength startled her at first, but she relaxed when she realized he was just messing around. Unfortunately, her physical and mental bodies were distracted and in two different worlds.